PUT ON A HAPPY FACE
JUPITER, Fla. — Imagine if Bill Murray appeared on David Letterman’s first two shows and then never again. Think of the laughs we would have missed.
Likewise, Starlin Castro will go down in history as the very first guest of “The Toe-night Show,” and he joined host Ronald Torreyes the second episode, as well. And that’ll be it (in the near future, at least) for Castro’s connection to the show in which homer-hitting Yankees get “interviewed” in their dugout. Think of the laughs he’ll miss.
Think about being part of something big and exciting, only to get thrown overboard just as it’s getting huge and thrilling.
Castro nevertheless smiled Tuesday morning, at the Marlins’ springtraining complex, after disclosing he had just exchanged text messages with his former Yankees teammate Torreyes. If he can’t hide that he’d rather be over at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, working with the Yankees to build on last year’s success, he also is good-natured enough to embrace his new gig.
“It’s kind of sad, but it’s one of the things I can’t control,” said Castro, who added he has been in touch with CC Sabathia, Gary Sanchez and Luis Severino. “I can control ‘Play hard.’ I can control ‘Be healthy.’ I can control ‘Be here every day, do my best every day.’ ”
When Castro joined the Yankees two years ago for his age-26 season, he ranked as one of the youngest guys in camp. Now, after the Yankees traded him and two minor leaguers to Miami for reigning National League Most Valuable Player Giancarlo Stanton in the offseason’s most stunning trade, he walks around as an oldtimer in this rebooting organization.
“I think he brings a veteran presence to us, and he’s still a young guy and a guy that can really hit,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said.
The Stanton deal served as the centerpiece of another Marlins teardown, this one courtesy of new owners Bruce Sherman and Derek Jeter, and the former Yankees captain received far more negative attention than to which he has been accustomed. In spring training, however, everyone’s in a good mood, and Marlins folks were more than ready for something different after the rollercoaster ownership of Manhattan art dealer Jeffrey Loria.
Nevertheless, when Castro heard the news of his trade, he wanted to join Stanton, Dee Gordon, Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich elsewhere. Castro’s agents reached out to the Marlins, president of baseball operations Michael Hill acknowledged, “and they expressed concerns about what was going on.” Hill said the Marlins very much wanted to retain Castro after trading Gordon, the incumbent second baseman, to Seattle, although even if they didn’t, Castro had little trade value with $22 million owed to him over two years. In this buyer-friendly free-agent market, the arguably superior player Eduardo Nunez just re-signed with the Red Sox for two years and $8 million.
“He’s been through it, so he understands what it takes to help a young team along,” Hill said. “He’s excited to be here and we’re excited to have him.”
Yankees fans know, after watching Castro perform for two years, that he offers an enticing, frustrating blend of strong bat-to-ball skills, inconsistent defense, the occasional mental lapse and the steady grin. He should be OK here because of his positivity and because he always accounts for those senior moments. Marlins VP of player development and scouting Gary Denbo encouraged Castro to speak up if he sees the youngins doing something wrong, and Castro will probably honor that request.
Castro saw Jeter, whom he had met during the Yankees captain’s 2014 retirement tour, at the Marlins’ Fan Fest a couple of weeks ago.
“He just welcomed me to the team,” Castro said. “… I think he’s a great guy. Whatever he tells me, I’m going to listen.”
That’s what professionals do, even when they get thrown into a situation they neither anticipated nor desired.
“It’s kind of a little tough right in the moment, because we missed, by one game, [going to] the World Series,” Castro said. “Now I feel pretty good.”