Bertrand: Even If Castillo Flops, Red Sox' Cuban Experiment Worth Every Penny
BOSTON (CBS) - On Friday morning, 98.5 The Sports Hub's Zolak & Bertrand discussed the Red Sox venturing into Cuban waters with the signings of Rusney Castillo and Yoan Moncada.
Castillo is already dealing with an injury and appears to be on the verge of losing the center field job to Mookie Betts. Even if Castillo proves to be a waste of money, Marc Bertrand is okay with it.
"Here's the part I think everybody is missing: how has no one paid attention to the fact that the Red Sox paid $72 million dollars for Rusney Castillo? They blew everyone out of the water with their offer to the Cuban defector. They did it again just months later and blew everyone away with signing Yoan Moncada. Does everyone think it's just a coincidence that they're throwing huge money at Cuban defectors right now?"
Cuban players like Aroldis Chapman, Yoenis Cespedes, Yasiul Puig and Jose Abreu have turned into stars. The Red Sox were reportedly just a few million dollars short on the Abreu sweepstakes, so when it came time to place bids on Rusney Castillo and Yoan Moncada, they left no doubt in the negotiating room.
"They were highly coveted players coming out of Cuba, and the Red Sox not only wanted to be in on them, but wanted to blow everyone out of the water to make sure they had the highest bid by a decent amount," continued Bertrand.
Last month, ESPN's Buster Olney reported that the Red Sox are exploring playing exhibition games in Cuba next spring with the help of Secretary of State John Kerry. Moreover, the U.S. political climate for Cuba in terms of travel and business restrictions have lessened. The embargo between the two neighboring countries may be lifted in coming years.
Starting to get the picture?
"These investments and these players go way beyond just their roster. It goes into that they're making a concerted effort to establish themselves in Cuba. That is what they're doing," Bertrand concluded. "If we get to a point where we have a flood of players coming out of Cuba like we do out of the Dominican Republic, they want to be the team that players and kids growing up in Cuba want to play for. How has everybody missed this point?"
That larger point is why Marc Bertrand remains unconcerned about Rusney Castillo panning out.
"I don't care about the $72 million dollars they paid Castillo. The Red Sox have $72 million dollars to invest in any kind of pet project they want to invest it in," Bertrand added.
If Rusney Castillo and Yoan Moncada live up to expectations, other teams in Major League Baseball may seek to follow Boston's strategy of investing time and money into Cuba.
Listen below for the full segment!