Well, it took them almost right up until the 6 p.m. ET trade deadline, but the Chicago Cubs have finally managed to make a move on Thursday. According to the New York Post's Jon Heyman, Chicago has taken advantage of the Minnesota Twins' full-on fire sale to acquire utility man Willi Castro.
Willi Castro to Cubs for prospects
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 31, 2025
In return, the Cubs are sending a pair of Double-A pitchers, Ryan Gallagher (the team's No. 9 prospect, per MLB Pipeline) and Sam Armstrong, to Minnesota.
Cubs sending Double-A pitchers Ryan Gallagher and Sam Armstrong back to Minnesota in the deal for Castro.
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) July 31, 2025
In a vacuum, there's plenty to like here. Castro is in the midst of another rock-solid season for Minnesota, with a 103 OPS+ over 86 games. He's a very good athlete and a terror on the bases, and he can play just about anywhere but shortstop and center field defensively. That's the sort of player that any team could use down the stretch and into October, and he figures to slot nicely into a third-base platoon with rookie Matt Shaw.
But while Castro is a nice add, he's hardly a star, and given how important this deadline is for Jed Hoyer and Co. (and how many assets they had at their disposal) it's hard not to wonder whether they could have or should have come away with more.
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MLB trade grades: Willi Castro can't atone for lackluster Cubs deadline
Again, it's not hard to see the fit here. Castro mashes left-handed pitching, which makes him an ideal complement to Shaw, a lefty himself who has struggled against southpaws in his young career. Add in his defensive versatility, and he's certainly someone who will add value to the Cubs over the next 2-3 months.
But then again: He's not Suarez. Heck, he's not even close. Chicago already has a pretty good defensive infield, and Pete Crow-Armstrong, Ian Happ and Kyle Tucker are locked into everyday spots in the outfield as well. More depth always helps, but what the Cubs really needed was a slam-dunk, no-doubt starter who could take the pressure off of Shaw as he continues to adjust to big-league pitching. The team kept all of its top prospects, and Castro, Michael Soroka and Andrew Kittredge should all help, but this wasn't the deadline this team needed with Tucker barreling toward free agency and the NL Central up for grabs.
Cubs grade: B-
If you want to give the Twins' entire deadline an F, be my guest. Selling amid a lost year is one thing, but the way this franchise has been stripped down to the studs is downright craven. That said, in a vacuum this feels like fair value for Castro, getting a pitcher in Gallagher whose fastball/changeup combination and solid pitchability would figure to give him a high floor of a No. 4 or 5 starter. Whether he becomes more depends on whether he can develop a viable breaking ball, but rotation potential for two months of a utility guy is a nice bit of business. Shame about the rest of the team, though.