The Bernstein Brief: Cubs Have Waited Too Long On Starlin Castro
By Dan Bernstein--
CBSChicago.com senior columnist
(CBS) The Cubs are still talking to teams about Starlin Castro, gauging the market for the struggling shortstop as they try to clear their middle-infield picture while tinkering around the edges of a playoff contender.
The problem is that they're in violation of the Branch Rickey Rule -- the one that says it's better to trade a player a year too early rather than a year too late.
Sources tell 670 The Score that what's being proposed in exchange for Castro is underwhelming the Cubs, the market depressed by a slash line of .247/.283/.321, a flaccid .604 OPS and a .264 wOBA that ranks him 155th of the 162 qualified MLB players. That he's not named Jorge Soler, Kyle Schwarber or Addison Russell makes him a clearance-rack item at this point, despite the fact that the three-time All-Star is still just 25.
Castro's fWAR is -0.4. Last year he finished at 2.7.
It's too late.
Dan Bernstein is a co-host of 670 The Score's "Boers and Bernstein Show" in afternoon drive. Follow him on Twitter @dan_bernstein and read more of his columns here.
