Boston Red Sox Should Cut Ties with Rusney Castillo

Rusney Castillo was supposed to be a key piece in the Boston Red Sox outfield into the next decade. Instead, he may be one of the biggest disappointments in team history.

When the Boston Red Sox signed Rusney Castillo to a seven year, $72.5 Million contract during the 2014 season, the expectations were that he would step in to the lineup and be a fixture in the outfield beginning in the 2015 season. Instead, Castillo found himself back in Pawtucket last year, playing his trade in AAA while waiting for an opportunity.

That chance was supposed to come this year. The Hanley Ramirez outfield experiment came to a merciful end, and an outfield spot was open for the taking. Castillo, with a strong Spring, could have found himself in a starting role and given the chance to contribute. Instead, he fell flat, producing a meagre .183/.246/.200 batting line during Grapefruit League action. Brock Holt ended up as the Red Sox primary left fielder, and with Chris Young taking the fourth outfielder position, Castillo was a very expensive bench player.

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Now, Castillo is a very expensive minor leaguer. With the idea that it is more important to get him regular at bats than to have him sitting on the bench waiting to play maybe once a week, Castillo has once again been sent down to Pawtucket. It seems that going 2-4 in his one game this season simply was not enough to save his spot on the major league roster.

At this point, one has to wonder whether or not Castillo will ever get the chance to make a contribution to the Red Sox. With Jackie Bradley and Mookie Betts seemingly set in right and center, and with Holt taking over in left, Castillo may be, at best, their fourth outfielder. Considering his salary, he should be far more.

Instead, it appears as though the new regime in Boston has soured on the former top Cuban prospect. He does not appear to have a path to playing time with the Red Sox, and one would have to imagine that Boston has no intention on paying him that salary to either play in Pawtucket or to sit on the bench.

In fact, it seems as though the best option for both would be for Castillo and the Red Sox to part ways. He certainly appears as though he needs a new beginning, and that change of scenery could potentially help revitalize his sputtering career. As for the Red Sox, it may simply be time to consider Castillo to be a sunk cost, one of several players on the team to fail to live up to expectations.

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Rusney Castillo had a chance to be a part of the Boston Red Sox future, but due to a lack of production and playing time, has found himself as a highly paid fifth outfielder. Both the Red Sox and Castillo need to part ways, granting him a change of scenery that does not involve Pawtucket.