An Open Letter to Alex Anthopoulos: Sign Rusney Castillo

Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo is put on a show for scouts.

This is an open letter to Toronto Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos from yours truly in an attempt to convince him to sign Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo. Because, you know he reads mail from me…I encourage you to add your voice to this letter in the comments below and we’ll share it. Let’s get this trending. Who knows, our voices combined may just work. Power to the People.

Dear Alex,

What’s up bro? No? I can’t call you bro? OK. How’s life? Sooooooo, been an interesting summer, huh? The team you put together had been in first place for a while. Man, that was exciting. Yeah, good times. Then it ended. Then they were  hanging around the playoff discussion. Now, they’re kind of fading from it. Too bad.

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So listen, I have something I need you to do for me. I’m going to need you to go ahead and sign the Cuban outfielder, Rusney Castillo. What? You won’t do it for little old me? OK, then here’s why you should do it:

1) In about 2 months from now, you are going to be down one outfielder, maybe even two. Melky Cabrera and Colby Rasmus are both set to hit the market. That is of course, if you don’t make a qualifying offer to Rasmus. Wait, you’re not are you? Oh, good. Don’t scare me like that bro. Sorry. Alex. OK, so if you’ve been paying attention, which I KNOW you have been, the Melkman (that’s Melky) has been pretty good this year. You should re-sign him.

Now that that is out of the way, Colby is gone. You could fill that hole with…gulp…Anthony Gose. Or, you could be really risky and see how Dalton Pompey does in that role in September. But, that would be a bit too much. He’s probably not ready right now. So, Anthony Gose, then. Well, this is why Rusney Castillo is a perfect fit. You see, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN, Castillo is seen as a center fielder and the team that signs him can (and probably will) plug him into the CF position almost immediately. So, there you go. We don’t have to waste any time “seeing” if Anthony Gose can handle the everyday job.

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Now, Alex, Ryan Mueller and Kyle Franzoni each did a wonderful job of breaking down what Castillo would bring to the table. Check them out. I’ll wait. All done? Wow, you’re quick Alex. Alright, so as Kyle told us, we know you were there to see what he has to offer. But, if he lives up to the comparison of Andrew McCutchen or Yasiel Puig that Jayson Stark brought up, then you know that it is worth it. A guy who can hit for power and run from the CF position? Yes, please. Not convinced? Need more? OK.

2) Now, Alex, I’m saying this out of the respect I have for you. It comes from a place of love. OK? But, you NEED to make this deal. You really need the PR boost, bro. Sorry. You didn’t do anything last winter (well, Dioner Navarro was a good call). That upset a lot of fans. They were so high after the “Miami Deal”. Then, the season flopped. I know. I know. It wasn’t you who got injured and under performed. But, then you didn’t do much to improve the team even though you were linked to almost every way TO improve the team. But, you stood pat.

It was actually a…not bad move. The team looked good this year. Health was a big plus. But, when the team was within contention at the trade deadline, your sole move was to bring in Danny Valencia. Really, bro? Sorry. So, really, you stood pat again. This didn’t really go over too well with fans, man. Paul Beeston has been harping that the team will improve if fans buy tickets, etc. Well, they’ve done that. Fans are coming. Fans are watching on TV. Fan are spending money. But, the team isn’t doing much to improve.

Now, I’m not one to gossip, but people are talking, dude. Some are saying they will boycott the team. Oh, don’t worry. I’m sure most of them only go to a handful of games. Some are calling for your job. But, we know you’re safe. Michael Wray already told us. Whew, right? People are not happy, though. They’re not happy with the team. They are not happy with the moves you DIDN’T make. They need something to be happy about. Don’t you want them happy?

Signing Castillo will send the message that the Toronto Blue Jays are serious about improving. You’d be outbidding the Phillies, Yankees, Tigers and Red Sox. The Red Sox. Remember when John Farrell left? Oooh, that’s still gotta sting. Right? Get ’em back. Steal this free agent. Oh, speaking of which, I know you don’t like the term bidding, but Castillo is a free agent. Because of his time playing in Cuba, he wouldn’t count toward your International Pool money. So, that’s good, right? Time’s a tickin’. Stark says Castillo could sign very soon. And, the Blue Jays aren’t rumoured to be in on Castillo. We’re not hearing your name, so that must be a good thing, right? You sneaky ninja, you.

Now, I know the price tag of 5 years (which you’ve already said is an acceptable length) and $50M-$60M SEEMS high. But, you’ve said countless times that for the right deal, ownership would gladly support you. Is $10M-$12M per year of McCutchen or Puig not one of those right kind of deals?

So, Alex, my friend, please consider your team’s need, consider the smiling faces you’d bring. People would be so happy. Your own players would be happy. Right now, they’re not too happy. OK. I won’t go there. But, seriously. You NEED to make this deal.

Hit me back, just to chat.

Yours Truly,

Shaun
(@JaysFromCouch)