All right, it’s still very early in the morning, and the heat of the Trade Deadline hasn’t quite yet started to increase yet, so it’s another short – but legit! – post for you.
We’ve been following the story of 27-year-old Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo fairly closely because of the impact potential – which is to say, more accurately, the potential for impact potential – and the Chicago Cubs’ apparent interest. That interest, of course, has been matched by a number of teams across baseball, many of whom have scheduled private workouts with the speedy, but powerful, free agent. Rumors have circulated that Castillo is already fielding offers, and that the private workouts might be a precursor to actually getting a deal done.
So, a big question: will the Cubs get a private workout? We know that they’d like to make it happen, if at all possible.
And a report from the Tribune suggests that it might happen: “Hoyer confirmed the Cubs had five scouts at a workout Saturday for Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo, whom they have monitored closely. They are expected to conduct a private workout with him.”
Now, is that a reporter offering a scoop, or is it phrasing the Cubs’ hopes of a private workout in another way (perhaps too optimistically)? Normally I wouldn’t even ask – the line is pretty explicit – but this would kind of be a big deal. Sure, a half dozen teams may wind up with a private workout, but, if the Cubs are one of those teams, that would suggest they’re very serious about landing Castillo.
We’ll see if anyone else confirms, or if the workout happens this week. Castillo has a workout scheduled for this coming Sunday, which is the latest we’ve heard. He could sign soon after that.