Only a few months ago, the Texas Rangers were proclaimed World Series winners.
That doesn’t mean they can’t upgrade their roster or look for low-risk alternatives to shore up their depth.
With this in mind, they carried out a potentially significant transaction with minimum risk.
“Rangers Sign Diego Castillo To Minor League Deal,” MLB Trade Rumors tweeted. From 2018 to 2022, Castillo was one of the most dependable relievers.
The majority of those years were spent as the Tampa Bay Rays’ closer.
In 2021, Castillo was dealt to the Seattle Mariners.
It’s shocking to see a pitcher with his resume (3.22 career ERA, 1.10 WHIP in 268.1 innings) signed to a minor league deal.
However, his awful 2023 campaign can explain it.
Early in the season, he posted a 6.23 ERA in 8.2 innings of work for Seattle.
As a result, the organization was forced to cut him from the roster in early May.
He spent the majority of the year in Triple-A, where his problems persisted.
In 47.1 innings of work, he had a 5.13 ERA.
Following the season, the right-handed groundball specialist became a minor league free agency in October.
That means the Rangers can bring him to spring training without having to guarantee him a spot on the roster.
He’ll have to earn it, and to do so, he’ll have to demonstrate his ability to regularly throw strikes once more.
There is no danger in bringing Castillo in, and the reward might be significant.
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