Who Is This Masked Man?


He's newest Yankee -- seen at Wrigley Field May 13th when the 1st pitch temperature was a wintry 43!! Wearing a mask more appropriate to an olympic skiier or an NFL player suiting up for a playoff game in Green Bay, it's Starlin Castro.
Yesterday, the Yankees made their second significant trade of the off-season, sending pitcher Adam Warren to the Cubs for Castro. Chicago's signing of Ben Zobrist made this move possible.
Still just 26, and signed to a long term contract (in today's lingo, "cost contained"), the Dominican native has been terrific at times over his six big league seasons. But he's also gone through periods of being ordinary -- or worse. Midway through last season, with the Cubs fighting for a playoff spot, he was moved from shortstop to 2nd base, and his offensive game returned. Playing alongside Addison Russell, the Cubs stormed to the second NL Wild Card and advanced to the League Championship Series before being swept by the Mets. His play down the stretch -- along with Chicago's surplus of young infielders -- made him perfect trade bait. With the Yankees having little faith in a potential second base platoon of Rob Refsnyder and Dustin Ackley, the Castro-Warren swap made sense to Brian Cashman. It resembles what the Yanks did a year ago when they swapped Shane Greene another promising for Didi Gregorius, who turned in a quality year at shortstop -- and exceeded expectations.

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