The Rusney Castillo sweepstakes might soon reach its conclusion. Could the Cuban outfielder be Boston bound?
The Boston Herald’s Scott Lauber reported earlier this week that the Red Sox, who recently held a private workout for Castillo, are “expected to be aggressive” for the 27-year-old Cuban defector. Joel Sherman of the New York Post on Friday listed the Red Sox among the teams viewed as “major players” for Castillo, who currently is a free agent.
Sherman reported Friday that Castillo and his representatives at Roc Nation began looking over offers. It’s possible Castillo could sign with a team soon, especially if it’s a contending club looking to add him for the stretch run.
The New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers reportedly are among the other teams interested.
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If the Red Sox sign Castillo, it will, of course, be with an eye toward 2015. While Castillo represents an unknown commodity, his combination of power and speed is very intriguing, particularly given the major league success enjoyed by fellow Cuban outfielders Yasiel Puig and Yoenis Cespedes.
“If he’s not a five-tool player, he’s a least a four-tool player,” Cespedes recently told WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford. “He’s very comparable to Puig. Obviously, a different height and size, but very similar qualities.”
Castillo is listed at 5-foot-9 and 205 pounds. CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman described him as “Brett Gardner (with) more power.”
Puig signed a six-year, $42 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers when he arrived in America after defecting from Cuba. It’s been speculated that Castillo could command a similar deal.
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