Pirates DFA Last Remnant Of Clay Holmes Trade

He was the last remaining part of the return from the trade that sent Clay Holmes to the New York Yankees. Now the Pittsburgh Pirates have designated for assignment once-promising infielder/utilityman Diego Castillo.

Pirates GM Cherington re: Diego Castillo DFA: "It was a matter of our roster changing over 12 months, and the opportunity for him not being as good. We needed a spot and, relative to other things, we felt like this was the right way to go. We’ll see what happens next few days."

— RobBiertempfel (@RobBiertempfel) December 21, 2022

The recent signing of catcher Austin Hedges created the need for a roster spot, and Castillo was an inevitable choice. The Pirates have Oneil Cruz and Rodolfo Castro as their promising young infield going forward, with other prospects on the rise, and their acquisition of Connor Joe recently filled an outfield spot, leaving no room for Castillo in their plans. 

"It was a matter of our roster changing over 12 months, and the opportunity for him not being as good," said Pirates GM Ben Cherington. "We needed a spot and, relative to other things, we felt like this was the right way to go."

While Castillo only managed to hit .206, he also had trouble defensively. He was versatile, playing nearly every position on the diamond, but he sported a negative defensive runs saved at 1B, 2B, 3B and the outfield. 

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