MLB trade rumors: Yankees, Cubs discuss Brett Gardner-Starlin Castro swap

Marc Lancaster

MLB trade rumors: Yankees, Cubs discuss Brett Gardner-Starlin Castro swap image

THE RUMOR: The Yankees have discussed moving Brett Gardner with "several teams," including a swap with the Cubs involving Starlin Castro

REPORTED BY: Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News

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THE DETAILS: Gardner's name has been out there quite a bit in the early stages of the offseason, including rumblings earlier this week about a potential deal with the Indians. The same goes for Castro, whose role diminished as the season went on in Chicago.

LAST SEASON: Gardner made the All-Star team for the first time in his eight-year career despite posting an OPS (.742) that was his lowest since 2011. His 656 plate appearances were a career high, though, and his 16 homers and 20 stolen bases showcase a nice power-speed combo. Castro, a three-time All-Star himself, struggled through 2015 as his team soared. Bumped out of the shortstop job he had held for five seasons with the arrival of Addison Russell, he turned in a .265/.296/.375 season at the plate.

OUR TAKE: The money would be just about a wash, with Gardner guaranteed $39.5 million on the rest of his contract and Castro $38 million, though the fact that Gardner is seven years older certainly makes Castro's deal more palatable. So let's talk filling holes.

Gardner would be useful in Chicago with Dexter Fowler hitting free agency, and he seems like the type who would fit into Joe Maddon's clubhouse at Wrigley. Castro, meanwhile, might be due for a change of scenery and would walk in and be the unquestioned starter at second base in New York, eliminating the dicey Dustin Ackley-Rob Refsnyder combo the Yankees used down the stretch.

Bottom line, we've heard worse ideas under hot stove discussion but that doesn't mean anything is imminent.

Marc Lancaster

Marc Lancaster Photo

Marc Lancaster joined The Sporting News in 2022 after working closely with TSN for five years as an editor for the company now known as Stats Perform. He previously worked as an editor at The Washington Times, AOL’s FanHouse.com and the old CNNSportsIllustrated.com, and as a beat writer covering the Tampa Bay Rays, Cincinnati Reds, and University of Georgia football and women’s basketball. A Georgia graduate, he has been a Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2013.