This time last year, Dave Dombrowski was left frustrated after missing out on Rusney Castillo, but the new Red Sox director of baseball operations is preparing for a season in which he will be able to call the Cuban one of his own.
Dombrowski, at the time president and general manager of the Detroit Tigers, made a huge effort to sign Castillo last summer, only to watch as the outfielder agreed a seven-year deal with the Red Sox worth $72.5 million. Unwilling to guarantee Castillo a starting outfielder role at the time, Dombrowski planned on using the 28-year-old as a starting centerfielder. Having seen what Castillo has achieved in his first year in the MLB, though, the new Boston chief could be convinced to stay with things as they are in terms of the big-hitting right hander in the outfield.
With Ben Cherington set to leave his role at the end of the season after turning down the chance to remain as general manager, Dombrowski was snapped up by the Red Sox shortly after leaving his position with the Tigers. Having made it clear that everyone has the rest of the 2015 season to prove they deserve to keep their place next year, Castillo is a player the new Red Sox boss knows a lot about. Despite something of a slow start to life in Boston following his arrival in the league, Castillo is beginning to show just why there were so many franchises chasing his signature last year.
In what has been another truly dismal season for the Red Sox, it would not be a surprise for gamblers to be backing other teams when visiting http://extra.bet365.com/news/en/us-sports/MLB and expecting Boston to have any hope of making the postseason. But while there might not be much left to play for this year in terms of results, this Red Sox roster will be under no illusions that they are all playing for their Boston futures. Still yet to live up to the hype that surrounded his arrival at the franchise, Castillo has probably done enough to prove to the Red Sox management that he is definitely worth hanging onto, even if it means spending another spell in the Triple-A in order to get his stats up.
During his time in the majors, Castillo has hit .291 (52-for-179) with six homers and 25 RBI from 55 appearances since joining Boston. After playing 10 games last year, the Cuban was sent to the Triple-A with the PawSox before being recalled to the Red Sox roster following Shane Victorino’s move to the Angels at the end of July. After returning to Boston, the 28-year-old has produced a string of eye-catching performances, hitting .333 with three home runs, 13 RBI and two steals, reaching base in 11 straight appearances and proving to some people that he has what it takes to be a starting outfielder in this league. There are other positions in which many feel Castillo would be better suited, and the Cuban could end up in the infield at the start of next season.
