The San Diego Padres have had discussions with the Chicago Cubs about acquiring shortstop Starlin Castro, according to Jon Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
San Diego is not a traditional buyer, but they make sense as a future-oriented acquirer at the position. Castro, who is just 25 years old, is in his sixth big league season and is owed $37 million over the next four seasons. That contract once looked like an asset, but in the midst of his second disappointing season in three years, it looks more like a risk.
Castro owns a .233/.268/.302 line over 399 plate appearances, which falls well below his league-average career output - and metrics suggest he’s slightly to firmly below average on defense.
In return, the Cubs have been focused on Tyson Ross, per a Rosenthal tweet, instead of the expensive James Shields. The 28-year-old is regarded as the Padres' most valuable asset because of three straight really good seasons, and has posted a 3.45 ERA so far this year.
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