New addition Willi Castro immediately shows his value as Cubs drop a tough one

New York Times

3 days ago

CHICAGO – Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles was a stinging defeat. It was a game that shows why the Cubs bullpen additions will be important the rest of the way. Caleb Thielbar has been lights out for nearly the entire season, but gave up a critical three-run homer in the eighth inning to the Orioles best player, Gunnar Henderson.
'We had a matchup that we wanted,' manager Craig Counsell said. 'Gunnar Henderson's a really good hitter. Caleb got ahead of (Jordan) Westburg and Henderson and just couldn't put them away. A good hitter took a big swing.'
🚨 GUNNAR GO-AHEAD HOMER 🚨 pic.twitter.com/rTybuo3CaD
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) August 2, 2025
Criticizing Thielbar for one poor outing is hard to do. He missed on a sweeper to an All-Star player and paid the price. To start the inning, Counsell went with Ryan Brasier to take on the bottom of the Orioles order. A pitcher who had walked three of the 78 batters he'd faced this season opened the eighth with four straight balls.
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It was a rough loss. One that the Cubs will have to put behind them quickly. Nico Hoerner admitted this one was tougher than most, especially after Matthew Boyd threw seven brilliant shutout frames to set them up for what seemed like a sure victory.
'You can stick to the process as much as you want,' Hoerner said. 'But every day is incredibly important at this level, wherever we're at in the season. There's no beating around that. We're going to obviously bring it tomorrow and do everything we can to win a series. But every win you leave on the table stings for sure.'
But these types of days aren't likely to be regular occurrences. The Cubs added pitching depth at the deadline to make sure their best relievers don't wear down. Lefty Taylor Rogers is going to be needed so Thielbar and Drew Pomeranz stay effective. Brasier has to perform so Brad Keller doesn't get overused. Andrew Kittredge being added to the mix is an upgrade, and on Friday, the righty showed that he can handle big moments.
The pitching will be key for this team. But the acquisition of Willi Castro should not be overlooked. The versatile defender started at second base on the day, shifting Hoerner to shortstop and giving Dansby Swanson a much-needed day off.
Along with making multiple nice defensive plays, Castro had two hits, including a triple, and scored two runs.
'Willi had a real nice debut,' Counsell said. 'Contributing to a couple of the runs scored for sure.'
The Cubs started the day 3-for-4 with runners in scoring position, then ended it 0-for-5. The inability to cushion their lead ended up costing them on this day. But if Castro can impact the team in various ways, perhaps he can help limit these types of down moments over the final two months.
Second base is just one of six positions Castro can play, giving Craig Counsell and the Cubs a unique weapon to deploy over the final two months of the season. He's a switch-hitter who can produce against both lefties and righties. Counsell called his skill set a 'rare trait' and exactly what this team was looking for at the deadline.
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'What he offers as a player, his versatility has been well-covered, but it's real,' Hoerner said. 'It's incredibly helpful for the group down the stretch as guys inevitably deal with little things. He's a quality starting player at a bunch of different places. The energy he brings too, he's a really positive and upbeat guy.'
Wearing carefully curated eye black and a Cubs-branded headband, Castro stood at his locker after the loss. He mentioned how perfect the weather in Chicago was on the day – a sunny 74 degrees, illustrating the best the city has to offer on a summer day. A full ballpark and energized crowd at Wrigley Field was something he had rarely experienced in his career.
He'd preferred to be speaking after a victory, of course, but it was easy to see why Hoerner believed he could bring the right vibe to the clubhouse. His unselfishness and willingness to play wherever he is asked evoke memories of Ben Zobrist, a winning player who would do whatever it took to help his team.
'That's something I really enjoy, playing other positions,' Castro said. 'As a player, I know it helps me a lot because it opens more doors for me. I like to play everywhere. I really enjoy every time I'm out there. Especially here, I feel great, I feel like home. We're gonna keep it going.'
Swanson entered the day as the team leader in games played, having appeared in 108 of the Cubs 109 games. After Saturday's contest, Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong are now equal with Swanson. While Tucker has had days off from defense with time at DH, Castro can fill in for both guys, along with Hoerner, Ian Happ in left and Matt Shaw at third.
'We have a pretty regular group and Willi, as we go through August here, he can fill in at a lot of positions,' Counsell said. 'Those are hard players to find, there's not many players like that out there.'
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For much of the season, the Cubs non-catcher bench pieces comprised of Vidal Bruján, Jon Berti and Justin Turner. While Turner has struggled when facing righties, he's done what's needed against left-handed pitchers, posting a 110 wRC+. Bruján had the versatility the Cubs desired, but was DFA'd earlier in the week after delivering a 43 wRC+. He's on the way to his fifth-straight season of negative WAR. Berti is in the midst of his worst season with a 44 wRC+.
With that in mind, Counsell struggled to give his regulars rest. Now he can do so and not expect to get little in return on offense. When asked if he could optimize his lineups better depending on the matchups, Counsell quibbled with the wording.
'I don't know if I'd call it optimizing,' he said, 'as much as there's no drop-off.'
That's imperative for the team. Guys are going to need to rest down the stretch and Counsell can't worry that the players he's giving time to won't produce. This is a deeper and more talented team. Even after a difficult loss on Saturday, the Cubs believe they're better positioned today than they were just a few days ago to chase down a red-hot Milwaukee Brewers team.