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MLB trade rumors: 5 players who should move after deadline

By Joshua Sadlock

SEATTLE, WA - JUNE 21: Starter Justin Verlander (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - JUNE 21: Starter Justin Verlander (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images) /
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ST. PETERSBURG, FL – JULY 25: Welington Castillo #29 of the Baltimore Orioles hits a two-run single off of pitcher Tommy Hunter of the Tampa Bay Rays during the eighth inning of a game on July 25, 2017 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images)
ST. PETERSBURG, FL – JULY 25: Welington Castillo #29 of the Baltimore Orioles hits a two-run single off of pitcher Tommy Hunter of the Tampa Bay Rays during the eighth inning of a game on July 25, 2017 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images) /

4. Welington Castillo

The Baltimore Orioles have been surging, making Peter Angelos and Dan Duquette look like geniuses for buying at the trade deadline and refusing to trade Zach Britton. Since getting swept by the Chicago Cubs to start the second half, the Orioles are 14-7 and have been blowing teams out. At this point, it is hard to imagine the front office moving a key player out of the lineup, but offers for Welington Castillo need to be considered if they come in.

In his first season with the Orioles, Castillo is hitting a respectable .287/.322/.453 with 11 home runs and 35 RBI. Since the break, he is batting .396/.411/.604 with three home runs and 10 RBI. Paired with Caleb Joseph, the Orioles have gotten 18 homers and 55 RBI from the catcher position. Their .802 OPS ranks sixth in baseball.

The biggest/only issue with Castillo is his work behind the plate. He has done well enough with his blocking and throwing out runners, but his reputation as one of the worst pitch framers in the league looks very deserved. Castillo is 23rd in the league according to Baseball Prospectus’ pitch-framing metrics. His partner behind the plate for the Orioles, Joseph, ranks fifth. Both catchers have caught 58 games this year. The staff has a 5.68 ERA with Castillo and a 4.12 mark with Joseph. That’s not even a small difference that can be explained away by pure luck — it’s a cataclysmic gap that further supports the Arizona Diamondbacks decision to non-tender Castillo last winter.

There is nothing terribly wrong with the Orioles not moving Castillo before the end of the season. His bat is playing up right now, and with a more consistent rotation with Joseph, the staff is beginning to level out. The real issue for the Orioles is avoiding being stuck with Castillo next year if he exercises his player option. Joseph has proven to be more than capable of starting this season and top prospect Chance Sisco continues to rake at Triple-A.

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