White Sox: Welington Castillo should stay with the team in 2019
The White Sox have one of the youngest teams in the MLB. As trades and free-agent pickups are discussed in the off-season, one of the oldest players on the squad should stay with the team.
The White Sox squad only has three players on the 40-man roster who were not born in the 90s. Those include Nate Jones (1986), Welington Castillo (1987), and Jose Abreu (1987).
MLB Cut4’s Gemma Kaneka and Jake Mintz researched the ages of MLB teams and found that the ChiSox were the second-youngest team. The average age of the lineup at the end of September was 26.1. Only the Padres were younger with an average age of 25.6.
Jones has already been re-signed with the Sox as the club picked up his option for an affordable $4.65 million for 2019. If he does well, he could be a lifer with the ChiSox.
Abreu has constantly been the talk of trades. As an All-Star and Silver-Slugger winner in 2018, Abreu has significant trade value. Fans could have seen the last of Abreu in a ChiSox uniform.
What about the fate of Castillo? The veteran catcher missed a significant portion of the 2018 season due to PED abuses. When he returned in September, his batting numbers were not as good as they were prior to his suspension.
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The White Sox have him signed through the 2019 season, and they should keep him. Castillo is a valuable catcher with nine years of experience behind the dish. He’s been around the league playing for the Cubs, D-backs, Mariners, and Orioles. Keeping Castillo for the 2019 season makes sense for the young pitchers and catchers.
He’s not the best catcher in the league and his range factor actually puts him below the league average. But, for $7.25 million, the Sox are getting veteran presence at the best position for a low price. For comparison, the Royals Salvador Perez (who is the best catcher in the AL) will make $11.2 million in 2019.
When Omar Narvaez and Castillo were platooning in the beginning of the 2018 season, they were one of the better catching platoons in the MLB. In April, only the Yankees, Astros, and Tampa Bay had a better-hitting platoon.
Of course, there are two reasons why the Sox might consider not keeping Castillo for the 2019 season. One is that Narvaez’s batting stats surged after Castillo was suspended. The second is the that his suspension does not make him seem like he would be a good leader in the clubhouse.
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Unless an outstanding deal comes to the White Sox, Castillo will most likely finish out his contract in Chicago. And, he should do a good job supporting his pitchers and calling plays between the lines.