As the Chicago Cubs rumors begin to swirl as they face the offseason, Starlin Castro must not be traded during the upcoming MLB offseason after his late season transformation.
Joe Maddon was completely disappointed with the former shortstop earlier this season and decided to make the move to bench Castro. He then proceeded to switch Castro from shortstop to second base and the situation ended up working out perfectly. Castro came on strong this season and showed off some of the full potential that the Cubs have seen in him over the past few seasons.
Throughout the 2015 season, Castro ended up recording a .265 batting average to go along with 11 home runs and 69 RBI's. Those numbers may not look too terribly impressive, but taking a look deeper at his numbers it can be seen the drastic turnaround that he had.
Castro ended up batting .426 during the month of September as well as five home runs and 20 RBI's. That is the type of production that made Maddon keep him in the lineup throughout the postseason. Chicago can't afford to lose his production and they can't afford to lose the presence that he brought to the clubhouse either.
That became obvious during the postseason as his teammates were obviously in full support of him.
Not only is Castro one of the more well-liked players in the clubhouse, he is also one of the veteran leaders for the Cubs. At just 25 years old, Castro just finished his sixth season with the Cubs. That is an impressive fact that many don't realize about Castro, especially with how young he is.
There are going to be plenty of teams that come calling about infielders with the Cubs. They have Javier Baez as a backup, which could make them consider making a trade with either him or Castro. No matter what the Cubs decide to do on the trade market, Castro shouldn't be moved.
Looking ahead to next season, the Cubs should be excited to bring back their core for another run. Castro is going to put in the necessary work to get better and become a cornerstone for the Cubs' offense and defense. Simply looking at the way he handled his midseason benching shows the growth in maturity, which in and of itself should save his roster spot for next year.
Expect to hear plenty of rumors surrounding the Cubs moving forward in the next month or two. Theo Epstein is an excellent general manager, but must make sure not to move Castro this offseason.
