The Chicago Cubs have traded for Minnesota Twins switch-hitter Willi Castro. Jon Heyman was the first to report the trade.

According to Jesse Rogers, the Cubs sent pitching prospects Ryan Gallagher and Sam Armstrong to the Twins for Castro.

Cubs pivot after Suarez loss

The Chicago Cubs were one of the teams reportedly in pursuit of All-Star third baseman Eugenio Suarez. Even with the red-hot streak from Matt Shaw following the break the Cubs were still trying to add the slugger to the lineup. On Wednesday night, the Seattle Mariners, who were also seen as one of the favorites to trade for Suarez, did exactly that, sending three prospects to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Cubs had to pivot and although there's no other hitter comparable to Suarez on the trade market there is one ideal target who was an ideal plan B for the club.

Willi Castro - Minnesota Twins

The bench for the Cubs has been a mess for several years and so far in 2025 not much has changed. Justin Turner has turned it around at the plate after struggling in April, but there hasn't been much if anything at all coming from the other backups. Jon Berti has a .496 OPS in 106 plate appearances and Vidal Brujan was designated for assignment after having a 43 wRC+ and putting up a -0.2 fWAR in 36 games.

By trading for 28-year-old Willi Castro the Cubs can address a few different needs on the roster. At the moment, Seiya Suzuki is the backup center fielder with exactly one career start at the position in the majors. Castro has played 94 games in center and in 2024 started 24 games there for the Minnesota Twins.

More importantly, Castro could become a useful utility player as he has the ability to play all three outfield spots, plus second, shortstop and third base. Oh and he can actually hit.

Beginning with the 2023 season, Castro has a combined 107 wRC+ in nearly 1,400 plate appearances. So far in 2025, the switch-hitter is slashing .245/.335/.407, with 10 home runs in 86 games. It gets better as Castro would also give the Cubs another much-needed right-handed bat. Against lefties, Castro is putting up a 131 wRC+ this year with a slash line of .278/.337/.500.

A great option to fill in at third base in case Matt Shaw cools down at the plate. He can slot into the other infield spots and can even be another weapon on the bases. Back in 2023, he had 33 steals with the Twins.

Castro was on fire earlier in the year, but he has struggled as of late. Since June 21, he has a 68 wRC+, regressing back to his numbers from the previous two seasons.

Castro will be a free agent following the 2025 season.

Cubs Grade: B+
Twins Grade: B

He's not Eugenio Suarez, but Willi Castro can play six different positions, giving Craig Counsell the ideal utility man to use around the diamond. Hopefully Castro's presence can give other players some rest and time to reset if they struggle to produce.

As for the Twins they get two pitching prospects in Ryan Gallagher and Sam Armstrong. Both right-handed starters have made up to Double-A this year in Chicago's farm system. Gallagher is the name to keep an eye on here as the 22-year-old has put up big strikeout numbers in his first pro season after being picked in the sixth round of last year's MLB Draft.