John Harper of the Daily News writes that If the Mets can acquire Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro for Zack Wheeler and perhaps even another pitcher, they should do it.
Harper says that the Mets need an impact bat and to get the best-hitting shortstop this side of Troy Tulowitzki represents a golden opportunity for team.
One Mets source said the the Cubs and Castro were “a perfect match” for the organization.
However, Cubs president Theo Epstein assured Castro that his future is secure after acquiring highly rated shortstop prospect Addison Russell on Friday from Oakland. He told reporters that the 24-year old Castro is the centerpiece of the the future of the organization.
Castro, who was selected to his third All Star game on Sunday, is batting .287 and leads all major league shortstops with 26 doubles. He has 11 home runs this season and his 51 RBIs rank second among all shortstops.
in 335 at-bats he’s boasting an .807 OPS which ranks third among all major league shortstops, and his .470 slugging ranks second.
The 24-year old is at the top of the food chain among shortstops and if and when he does become available, you can bet he will be prized by many teams and not just the Mets. He will not come cheap.
Adding to his value, Castro’s contract calls for a very team friendly $48 million over 6 years with a club option for 2020.
As I said over the weekend, however they decide to do it, the Mets need to find a way to add an impact bat to their lineup which is laden with far too many Quad-A type talents, waiver wire pickups, and reclamation projects.
Players like Castro do not come along very often. Most teams usually lock players like this up. When you consider the kind of offense he can give you and from a premium position, it’s tough to take a pass on a prospect of this magnitude.
