Rusney Castillo of the Boston Red Sox reacts after he was caught off third base. (Photo : Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
The Boston Red Sox have a handful of bad contracts including the seven-year, $72.5 million of Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo. He has been very disappointing since being signed in 2014 and the Red Sox have sent him to the minors early in the 2016 season. According to ESPN, Boston is hoping to restore Castillo's market value before possibly trading him at the July deadline.
Before being given a huge contract by the Red Sox, the 28-year-old outfielder was one of the most sought after Cuban players in baseball. Castillo was described by scouts as a player with speed and power potential.
He stands at 5-foot-9 and weighs around 205 pounds, per Baseball America. Scouts also praised his frame and increased strength that was needed to help his hitting.
"He is a lot more physical than what we saw in his Cuban national days. They really did a hell of a job with the body," one baseball scout said.
However, Castillo did not live up to his potential and contract when in first full his major league season for the Red Sox in 2015. According to Baseball Reference, he played in 80 games last season and had a batting average of .253 with 5 home runs and 29 RBIs.
The 28-year-old was also unimpressive in his 40-game stint at Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox. He batted .282 with just three home runs and 17 RBIs. Castillo entered spring training as Boston's fifth outfielder, a role not suited for someone with a $10.5 million salary for the season.
When he was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket on Wednesday, he was very optimistic about it. He was thankful that he is going to get regular at-bats and possibly improve.
"I look at it as an opportunity to play every day and get better. I'm excited at the opportunity to start every day, which is what I've always wanted to do," Castillo told MLB.com.
The Red Sox is down to 24 players at the moment but catcher Christian Vazquez is the likely candidate to fill the final spot. Boston manager John Farrell added that team just wants Castillo to get more playing time to keep him sharp and playing every day.
In the report by ESPN, it is speculated that if Castillo's play gets better, he will be traded by team president Dave Dombrowski. The Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees were linked with the outfielder before he signed with the Red Sox.
Here is a video highlight of Castillo back when he was showing his skills to MLB scouts.
