Mookie Betts’ emergence doesn’t have the Boston Red Sox second-guessing their strategy.
Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington, with the benefit of hindsight, indicated Boston still would have signed Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo to a lucrative seven-year contract even if the organization had been able to predict Betts’ rise to prominence.
“Yeah, I feel strongly we would have, because we feel like in Boston you always need one more qualified defensive outfielder than most teams need. We always want to have one more than we actually need theoretically,” Cherington recently told The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier in Fort Myers, Fla. “That process, we felt like we knew Rusney really well. We felt like we knew his game really well — what he was and what he wasn’t.
“We felt like we got to know the kid, and felt very comfortable going into that. We felt like that was a deal that made sense for the Red Sox no matter who else was in the organization. And we still do. He hasn’t done a single thing since we signed him that has changed that outlook.”
Castillo, who was a highly sought after free agent upon defecting from Cuba, signed for $72.5 million, which obviously represents a sizable investment. The deal made sense because the Red Sox’s offense, particularly the output from the outfield, simply wasn’t up to par for much of 2014, but Boston has since added third baseman Pablo Sandoval and outfielder Hanley Ramirez, among others, to provide additional pop.
Betts’ emergence makes it easy to question the Castillo signing. It looks like Betts will start the season as Boston’s starting center fielder and leadoff hitter, while Castillo, who has dealt with an oblique injury this spring, heads to Triple-A Pawtucket. But, as a major league source noted to Speier, Castillo’s contract is a long-term deal, so there’s plenty of time for both players to carve out significant roles with Boston.
Thumbnail photo via Keith Srakocic/USA TODAY Sports Images
