He's going back to Havana?Reggie's Racquet said:Maybe he's talking to Lebron about The Decision vs. Heartfelt letter.
E5 Yaz said:Has Castillo or his representatives ever come out and said when his decision would be made? Or is this a case of media types trying to figure out when it would be made, then building anticipation for a self-made deadline?
Gordon Edes with that bit of info. Who knows if it's accurate. Time will tell.BeantownIdaho said:"The Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers appear to be the front-runners for the services of Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo, two league sources said Thursday, with a decision expected no later than the weekend."
http://espn.go.com/boston/mlb/story/_/id/11389687/boston-red-sox-detroit-tigers-front-runners-add-cuban-rusney-castillo-according-sources
ArgentinaSOXfan said:Gordon Edes (Twitter):
League source: Boston "optimistic" about signing Rusney Castillo.
:q:
Why can't Betts play the outfield?mattymatty said:I doubt the organization is depending on Bradley at this point. That's not to say they've given up on him, but I can't see them counting on him to play 160 games next season in Boston. I'm expecting some sort of large trade this off-season and I'm further expecting Betts to be part of that deal. His value is at a high level now, he's not an outfielder, and he's never playing second base for this organization. He's the perfect trade piece. I'm not sure what they can expect out of Victorino either. They'll know far better than I do, but considering this season and his history, it seems safe to say that between he and Craig the organization might get a full season of productivity or they might not.
In the end, we're talking about a pretty unsettled outfield situation and adding an unknown, untested player in Castillo doesn't clear things up either. It's going to be an interesting off-season.
I've been a Sox fan to know that this is just about the time when the Yankees SWOOP in and steal someone with the last-second high bid.ArgentinaSOXfan said:Gordon Edes (Twitter):
League source: Boston "optimistic" about signing Rusney Castillo.
:q:
I think you're downplaying the Joe Kelly part of the trade a bit much. If anything we had to take Craig to get Kelly.LondonSox said:IF they do sign him it just makes the Craig move all the weirder for me. There's nowhere for him to play right now and they are potentially adding another player who plays several positions that he does.
It's all the weirder in that the return for Lackey fellt low, and there was no obvious need to rush dropping him this season (there may have been internal or whiney bitch reasons of course).
Why take Craig and his salary if you aren't planning to play him and if you are where does he fit?
Cespedes is likely LF, Betts or JBJ CF (or Rusney if they get him), Victorino or the Bett/s JBJ loser RF (can Craig even handle RF at fenway I'd think dubious), Holt as depth, Nava in the mix as well. Napoli is 1B and Papi DH. I don't see where Craig plays NOW let alone is Castillo is added.
Now if he was cheap/ had options/ whatever fine but he's not cheap, and not young and frankly hasn't been good enough to force most of those players out of a lineup.
Craig in left, Castillo in center, Cespedes in right, Nava and Victorino on the bench.LondonSox said:IF they do sign him it just makes the Craig move all the weirder for me. There's nowhere for him to play right now and they are potentially adding another player who plays several positions that he does.
It's all the weirder in that the return for Lackey fellt low, and there was no obvious need to rush dropping him this season (there may have been internal or whiney bitch reasons of course).
Why take Craig and his salary if you aren't planning to play him and if you are where does he fit?
Cespedes is likely LF, Betts or JBJ CF (or Rusney if they get him), Victorino or the Bett/s JBJ loser RF (can Craig even handle RF at fenway I'd think dubious), Holt as depth, Nava in the mix as well. Napoli is 1B and Papi DH. I don't see where Craig plays NOW let alone is Castillo is added.
Now if he was cheap/ had options/ whatever fine but he's not cheap, and not young and frankly hasn't been good enough to force most of those players out of a lineup.
Snodgrass'Muff said:...
As for Castillo being unproven... yeah, he is. However, if the front office has bid high enough to win, they clearly think his floor is somewhere around average and are hoping for better. I'm willing to trust that evaluation.
Hee Sox Choi said:I've been a Sox fan to know that this is just about the time when the Yankees SWOOP in and steal someone with the last-second high bid.
FTFY.Snodgrass'Muff said:If this turns out to be true they are going into next year with Castillo and Cespedes as good bets to play all season and be average to above average players. That leaves one outfield position and two bench spots to sort out between Victorino, Craig, Bradley, Betts and Nava. While the lack of a star player is noteworthy, that's a verysolidlarge group of players to go into the winter with.
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/writer/jon-heyman/24673020/red-sox-working-hard-to-try-to-land-cuban-of-rusney-castilloThe Red Sox are focused on signing outfielder Rusney Castillo, and several sources suggested they are working hard to beat several others teams to land the top Cuban free agent.
Boston remains "heavily involved" according to people familiar with the situation, and executives with other interested teams suggest the Red Sox are the favorite to win Castillo's services.
Boston and Detroit were tabbed as the favorites a couple days ago by Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston, and the Red Sox remain in close contact with Castillo, an exciting speed-power combo, according to league officials.
Scott Lauber @ScottLauber 2m
Castillo bidding occurring in-season, but source says he likely views decision as long-term, won't be influenced by contender/non-contender
I am going to imagine a day when people on Sosh stop pretending they know the future. When they put a modicum of trust in the ownership group that has delivered 3 world series. It might not be silly but it will be beautiful.j44thor said:It is going to be unfortunate when Castillo gets more than Puig and Abreu and he ends up 1/2 the player. I have a feeling the Cuban market will be significantly inflated due to the recent success of those two.
Come on now, Lose. Damon, Teixeira (2009), CC and probably a half-dozen others over the past 10 years that we wanted and the Yankees outbid us on. Most of which I don't regret getting but at the time it stung quite a bit. Don't you remember Teix's wife!?! Anyways, my point is that the Yankees are always there to put in a last-second bid that outdoes everyone else but the new Steinbrenner doesn't seem to have as much of an open wallet as George.Lose Remerswaal said:
Whoa! A post from 2003!
While I agree with the first part, given how few times they have actually made the playoffs lately and 2 (most likely) last place seasons in the last 3 years means they aren't infallible.OptimusPapi said:I am going to imagine a day when people on Sosh stop pretending they know the future. When they put a modicum of trust in the ownership group that has delivered 3 world series. It might not be silly but it will be beautiful.
I am going to imagine a day when people on Sosh stop pretending they know the future.
Jesse Sanchez @JesseSanchezMLB 1m
Source: Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo on track for record-setting 6-year, $72 million deal with #RedSox. Check http://MLB.com
NickEsasky said:While I agree with the first part, given how few times they have actually made the playoffs lately and 2 (most likely) last place seasons in the last 3 years means they aren't infallible.
Or perhaps I have lurked here for some time?sackamano said:
Your first 5 months and 49 posts here must have left an indelible impression on you.
It's entirely possible that Castillo becomes a bust. Obviously the front office likes him, but they've liked plenty of guys who've not produced.