Jorge CastilloJan 15, 2026, 04:05 PM ET
CloseESPN baseball reporter. Covered the Washington Wizards from 2014 to 2016 and the Washington Nationals from 2016 to 2018 for The Washington Post before covering the Los Angeles Dodgers and MLB for the Los Angeles Times from 2018 to 2024.
The Colorado Rockies and utilityman Willi Castro are in agreement on a two-year, $12.8 million contract, sources told ESPN on Thursday.
Castro is the second player the Rockies have signed to a major league contract this offseason under new president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta. Earlier this month, right-hander Michael Lorenzen signed a one-year, $8 million deal with a $9 million club option for 2027 to join a rotation that posted an astonishing 6.65 ERA last season for the 43-win Rockies.
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As it stands, Castro, 28, is likely to start at third base for Colorado, but he has established himself as a reliable utility player that also has extensive experience at shortstop, second base and all three outfield positions.
After parts of four seasons with the Detroit Tigers to begin his big league career, Castro had his best seasons in 2023 and 2024 with the Minnesota Twins, posting 5.4 fWAR across the two campaigns while playing every position in the field but catcher.
Castro was an All-Star in 2024, but he regressed both at the plate and on defense in 2025, struggling mightily after the Chicago Cubs acquired him at the trade deadline. The switch-hitting Castro finished the regular season with a .170/.245/.240 slash line and one home run in 34 games with the Cubs and didn’t have an appearance in any of Chicago’s eight playoff contests.
Defensively, Castro posted -9 outs above average on defense last season, plummeting from the 0 OAA he compiled in 2024 and the 3 OAA he recorded in 2023.