Before the offseason gets too deep, infielder Starlin Castro<\/strong><\/a> will be looking for a new job.\u00a0The Miami Marlins declined Castro’s $16 million option for next season, opting for the $1 million buy-out instead.<\/p>\n First noted by Jon Heyman, the decision to move on from Castro wasn’t exactly a surprise. Castro’s contract in large part was purchased as a way to off-set things in sending Giancarlo Stanton to the New York Yankees. The main pieces to that trade were Jose Devers<\/strong><\/a> and right-hander Jorge Guzman<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n With the recent struggles at the plate for Castro and the rising potential of Isan Diaz<\/strong><\/a> and Brian Anderson<\/a>,<\/strong> this was the right move for the Marlins.<\/strong> Right now, both Diaz and Anderson are projected to begin the 2020 campaign at second and third respectively. As a result of this, there is no legitimate spot for Castro.<\/p>\n Castro’s time in Miami wasn’t without its worth. He did provide a strong veteran presence among a litany of youthful talent. Since 2018, he did lead the team in games played with 316. Through that time he produced a slash line of .274\/.314\/.418 which came out to be just over league average when adding in the pitcher-friendly Marlins Park. In the 2019 season alone, Castro produced a season-high with 22 home runs and 86 RBI. His overall offensive WAR, as noted by Baseball-Reference, was 4.6 which points to the fact that he lived up to his contract. He was paid $23.7 million over that two-year span in Miami.<\/p>\n Even with that said, there were some significant downfalls to Castro. That including a slumping plate performance that basically took him out of trade contention at the trade deadline. Castro also produced his fourth-highest strikeout total for a single season (111). While he hasn’t been an exceptional defensive player he did put forth a mark of just 0.4 over two seasons. Castro has a proven track record for not walking and 2019 highlighted that with just 29 walks all season long.<\/p>\n While there is a prevailing thought that Starlin Castro still might find major league playing time next season it won’t be as a Marlin. A good possibility could be reuniting with the Chicago Cubs<\/a>. Back in the days since his departure from Chicago, the Cubs had the emergence of Javier Baez<\/strong><\/a> and Addison Russell<\/strong><\/a> plus the acquisition of Ben Zobrist<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\nMoving On<\/strong><\/h3>\n
The Ups and Downs\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Going Forward<\/strong><\/h3>\n