For some time now, the deal that signed center fielder Rusney Castillo out of Cuba has been either scrutinized or forgotten all together.
If the signing has been criticized, the Red Sox fanbases' peak disdain for it was likely when Castillo finished out 2016 with a .263 batting average, two home runs and 34 RBIs in 103 games played with Triple-A Pawtucket.
The contract agreement had been settled at six-years, 72.5 million in August of 2014. Castillo made his major league debut on September 17 of that same year. After a fourth inning infield single off Pirates' pitcher Francisco Liriano, the then 27-year-old finished an underwhelming 1-for-4 in a Red Sox loss. Castillo registered 12 hits during his 10-game September stint before the team packed it up for home after going 71-91 on the season.
The following spring, Castillo failed to earn a roster spot in the majors on an outfield depth chart that featured Mookie Betts, Shane Victorino, Hanley Ramirez, Daniel Nava, and Allen Craig. This came to be after the center fielder hit .310 in 29 spring training plate appearances. Castillo would go on to split time between the Red Sox and PawSox in 2015, batting .282 with three home runs and 17 RBIs in 40 Triple-A games, and .253 with five home runs and 29 RBIs in 80 major league games.
Amid 103 games played for the PawSox in 2016, Castillo logged eight at-bats with the Red Sox in nine games and managed two hits (finished spring training with .204 average and one extra-base hit). Castillo has not made an appearance on the big league roster since. He hit .314 with 15 home runs (87 games) in 2017 with the PawSox, but could not make the 40-man roster.
In March, Alex Cora opened the narrative for the possibility of Castillo one day returning to the Red Sox parent club before the outfielder's deal with the team runs out after 2020. Cora managed Castillo during the Winter League for the Puerto Rican team Criollos de Caguas. Cora still seems to have faith in the now 30-year-old.
"He was actually the best player in the league," Cora said to the Boston Herald. "And then, like everybody else, you start making adjustments. And sometimes it's (coming from) out of the organization. You start listening to people outside of the organization, and you start making adjustments that probably you didn't have to make."
Castillo has transferred both his Winter League momentum and momentum from last season with the PawSox into the 2018 campaign. At 70 games, the Cuban outfielder is closing in on the identical sample size from last season, and has again registered an average over .300, hitting .319 with four home runs and 36 RBIs.
With two months remaining in the PawSox season, there has yet to be any indication that the Red Sox are looking to call Castillo up to the majors. And there is a good chance it stays that way. Even if Castillo continues his current run, he is not only fighting the questioning of his skill, he is also going against the Red Sox luxury tax cap.
As explained per Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe, when Castillo was cut from the team's roster, the transaction, under the MLB's new collective bargaining agreement, meant his salary could no longer count toward luxury tax payroll calculations. Castillo is still being paid his contract, but according to the league's rule, it isn't a factor unless he is returned to the 40-man roster.
If the Red Sox were to add Castillo during the season, it would raise their payroll over the luxury tax of $237 million, making it impossible for the team to sign any free agent help. The best he could do in this case, would to be called up when the roster expands in September. If he was to perform well and make the playoff roster, it would be quite the story, but under the MLB's rule, it would also cause the Red Sox top pick in the 2019 draft to drop 10 spots as penalty. The team would need to be convinced that Castillo would have a good chance at making the postseason roster and assisting them in a quest for aWorld Series appearance for it to pay such a price. It's a risk, and the Red Sox would need to believe they are also dangerously short on bench options come crunch time for them to consider making that gamble.
It's an all-or-nothing scenario if Castillo receives a second chance with the Red Sox. However, if he were to add on to his surge with the PawSox, there are indeed a few spots on the bench that could use an offensive energizer. Backup Red Sox outfielder Blake Swihart is currently hitting .149. The bottom line is that Castillo has hit safely in 19 of his last 21 games, while slashing .398/.468/.530. Given his situation, .319 still isn't good enough to gain a look from the major league club, but it's a start.
According to Boston Sports Info, the Red Sox are paying $71,704,389 in 2018 to Castillo, Hanley Ramirez, Pablo Sandoval, Dustin Pedroia, Manny Ramirez and Allen Craig. The combined numbers for these players are .245 with six home runs and 29 RBIs in 188 at-bats. If Pedroia is unable to bounce back from his knee injury this year, maybe the team rolls the dice for production out of Castillo who is still owed $35.5 million. He may be the last hope to redeem a fraction of the $71 millon spent.
As of now, such a comback is improbable but still fractionatly possible.
