Starlin Castro agrees to deal with Nationals

The Washington Nationals have agreed upon a two-year deal with free agent infielder Starlin Castro, adding more experience to the defending champs.

According to the latest reports, the defending MLB champions are adding a four-time All-Star to their ranks in free agency.

As first reported by The Athletic‘s Ken Rosenthal, the Washington Nationals have agreed to a deal with free agent infielder Starlin Castro, pending a physical. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported the terms of the contract, with the two sides agreeing upon a two-year, $12 million pact.

Per Rosenthal, this deal does not take the Nats out of the running for Josh Donaldson, since the plan is for Castro to play second base rather than third. By this logic, he’ll be taking on more of Brian Dozier’s role than Anthony Rendon’s.

According to USA TODAY Sports’ Bob Nightengale, the Milwaukee Brewers were another team pursuing Castro’s services, but he wanted to play for the Nationals and manager Davey Martinez.

Last season with the Miami Marlins, Castro had a .270 batting average with 22 home runs and 86 RBIs.

At age 29, Castro is clearly not what he once was, but the four-time All-Star still has enough left in the tank to warrant this kind of deal, especially with Donaldson still in play. Through the 2019 season, Castro has amassed a .280 career batting average, 1,167 hits, 133 home runs and 636 RBIs. He was the NL base hits leader in 2011 during his first All-Star season, and though his last All-Star campaign was back in 2017, he’s got plenty of experience to help the Nationals as they approach their title defense in 2020.

This also gives the infielder a legitimate chance at winning a World Series, as his time with the Chicago Cubs (2010-15), New York Yankees (2016-17) and Marlins (2018-19) never got him to the promised land. Only time will tell if Donaldson joins the party here soon, but for now, adding Castro at such a manageable price is a win-win for both sides.