The Twins' Willi Castro Could Be The Piece The Brewers Need At The Trade Deadline

[Harold Hutchison]

The Brewers are looking for an offensive jolt to deal with the short-term loss of Sal Frelick and a season-long issue with offensive production on the left side of the infield. How can the Brewers address these needs without mortgaging their future?

The answer may be Willi Castro. The Minnesota Twins look like sellers, being four games back in the race for the American League’s last Wild Card spot and posting a 47-49 record coming out of the All-Star Break, while the Crew has surged over the last 30 games to a 56-40 record and just one game back of setting things in the NL Central in their proper order (looking down at four other teams).

Castro’s posted a 117 OPS+ this year and has been a little above average for the Twins since arriving as a free agent after the 2022 season (106 OPS+ as of July 18). He has shown decent on-base skills, albeit his bat has exhibited some swing-and-miss tendencies with the Twins.

Castro brings two assets that could boost the Crew down the stretch: a somewhat leveled-up power bat (his nine homers would be fourth on the Crew, while his 14 doubles would rank third) and versatility.

That combination would be a huge boost for the Crew. Castro provided solid defense at second base, third base, shortstop, left field, right field, and center field in Minnesota, while his bat could, at the very least, extend the Brewers’ lineup. When Hoskins and Frelick return, Castro can be used just about anywhere on the diamond, but represents a massive upgrade over Joey Ortiz at shortstop at the plate.

His salary for 2025? All of $6.4 million. That doesn’t break the bank for the Crew, especially since Milwaukee would only be liable for about 40% of that total. That’s a win for the Crew, which has to keep one eye on its cash flow.

There is another bonus: Castro is slated to hit free agency in the 2025-2026 offseason, so he would not be a roadblock for the Brewers’ future at third base or shortstop, allowing Cooper Pratt, Brock Wilken, Luke Adams, Mike Boeve, Tyler Black, Freddy Zamora, Jesus Made, and Luis Pena (among others) a clear pathway to compete in spring training for spots over the next two years. He might also be easy to bring back on a one-year deal.

The question, of course, comes down to cost. What might it take to get Castro? Here’s where the good news gets better for Milwaukee – as a short-term rental, the Crew could get a bargain. They could send the Twins a lower-ranked prospect, possibly something from the back half of their top 20.

There is Jorge Quintana, a switch-hitting shortstop signed in the same year as Made and Pena, but has been eclipsed by the two Top 100 prospects almost from day one, both of whom appear ready to make the move to High-A Wisconsin. Wilken could be another option, especially if the Brewers want to get an additional asset or two (like some international bonus money or the Twins’ competitive balance pick in 2026), or the Crew could send over Hedbert Perez, who has quietly regained some of his prospect luster at the age of 22.

While it can be tempting to think big, the best answer, sometimes, is to take a deep breath and look for the bargain.

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[Devinep]

I’ve been hoping for more of a slugger, but I’ve always thought Castro was the most likely acquisition for the Brewer offense. Especially if they don’t want to play Durbin/Turang at SS but want someone else to push or replace Ortiz. He’d be a solid and reasonably priced option. Maybe Tyler Black for him? 

[Snoebird]

Castro would in all likelihood replace Monasterio on the roster as a 2024 all-star with more power. Joey Ortiz continues to work with the hitting coaches to improve his productivity, so he shouldn't be discarded. Castro can pick up a player who needs a day off. The sooner the Brewers act -- now that the Twins have dropped a series at Colorado -- the better chance they have to keep Castro away from the Cubs, who showed early interest. 

[WAN2]

A cheap tweak.

[Brock Beauchamp]

7 hours ago, Devinep said:

I’ve been hoping for more of a slugger, but I’ve always thought Castro was the most likely acquisition for the Brewer offense. Especially if they don’t want to play Durbin/Turang at SS but want someone else to push or replace Ortiz. He’d be a solid and reasonably priced option. Maybe Tyler Black for him? 

Nobody wants Tyler Black at this point.

[Turning2]

Hands off Wilken. Brewers finally have a big slug bat in development who could be their Devers, Suarez of the near future. Don’t go trading a guy like that. 

[jay87shot]

I like Castro but I wouldn't pay a very high price for an expiring utility guy. Especially since SS is not really part of his repertoire, 56 games 2024 -9 runs (26 innings this year). Still he switch hits so it wouldn't be bad. I would try for 2 lower ranked guys instead of 1 decent prospect. 

[Branyanisthegoat]

18 hours ago, Devinep said:

 Maybe Tyler Black for him? 

Unless they think he can be a good OF, wouldnt he be buried there? Julien and Clemens can both play 1B and fake it at other spots on the IF.

[CheezWizHed]

For someone at the back end of the Brewer's top 20?  Seems like a no-brainer to me.