Why Aaron Boone Is Eager to Add Miguel Castro to Yankees' Bullpen

New York acquired Miguel Castro from the Mets on Sunday in exchange for Joely Rodríguez.

DUNEDIN, Fla. — The Yankees added a new face to their bullpen on Sunday, a right-hander with elite swing-and-miss stuff.

New York acquired Miguel Castro from the Mets, trading lefty reliever Joely Rodríguez to their crosstown rival.

"He's good," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Castro moments after the final out of a Grapefruit League loss to the Blue Jays. "He's coming off a great season last year. We're pretty familiar with him just facing him with the Mets and obviously Baltimore for a lot of those years. A guy with great stuff. I think he deepens our 'pen a little bit."

Castro posted a career-best 3.45 ERA over 70.1 innings (69 appearances) in 2021 with the Mets, striking out 77 batters while allowing 48 hits and seven home runs. Across the right-hander's seven-year career, Castro has a 4.13 ERA, recording seven saves and racking up 311 strikeouts. 

Before donning a a Mets uniform, Castro played for the Orioles, Rockies and Blue Jays. He debuted with Toronto in 2015, the same year Josh Donaldson won American League Most Valuable Player.

"I'm familiar with him," Donaldson said Sunday. "I've had some at-bats off of him. He's got electric stuff. And he's been reliable."

Castro's advanced numbers are appealing as well. The right-hander throws hard (98th percentile in fastball velocity), misses barrels (93rd percentile in average exit velocity) and excels at making opponents swing and miss (87th percentile Whiff%). Specifically, his whiff rate was a career-high 32.6% in 2021, 41.5% on his sweeping slider. 

The only issue with Castro is his command. The 27-year-old had a 14.2 walk rate a season ago, issuing free passes to 43 of the 303 batters he faced. 

If Castro can harness the movement on his three-pitch mix, making sure he's effectively wild—rather than just wild—he can be an impactful addition to New York's bullpen. Adding his closer-like stuff to a group that already includes Aroldis Chapman, Jonathan Loáisiga, Chad Green, Clay Holmes and more has some serious potential.

Either way, he'll need to improve in his control. This is also an indication that New York is comfortable with their left-handed pitching depth in the bullpen. Trading away Rodríguez means Chapman, Lucas Luetge and Wandy Peralta are the only other lefties remaining in the 'pen.

Non-roster invitee Manny Bañuelos and prospect JP Sears are both left-handers and in contention for a roster spot with only a few days to go before Opening Day. Otherwise, the likes of Deivi García, Clarke Schmidt, Luis Gil, Ron Marinaccio and more are competing for the final few roster spots. 

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.