There have been Starlin Castro to New York rumors going down for almost a year. Most of those rumors, though, had him heading to the Mets.
Instead, Castro is going to become a member of the New York Yankees:
Can confirm Starlin Castro to the Yankees for RHP Adam Warren and a player to be named. #Cubs
— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) December 9, 2015
I'll have more to say about Castro's tenure with the Cubs tomorrow or the next day, as he's been with the club for six seasons and in the organization since 2006, one of the last players left signed by the Jim Hendry regime.
But this trade looks good to me. The Cubs' signing of Ben Zobrist gives them a second baseman (who can also play other positions) and Adam Warren, who is 28, has been a swingman for the Yankees for the last three-plus seasons. Mostly a reliever before 2015, he started 17 games for the Yankees this past season and posted a 3.66 ERA in that role with a 1.219 WHIP and just eight homers allowed in 96 innings.
It would seem that the Cubs are trying to stockpile potential starting-pitcher depth; if Warren isn't in the rotation, he could easily work middle relief or in a setup role, as he did in New York.
More on Castro, as noted, later, but one thing he'll have to change with the Yankees is his uniform number. No. 13 is taken -- by Alex Rodriguez.
Finally, thanks to Theo & Co. for getting these deals done and out there at a reasonable hour instead of the middle of the night!