The Blue Jays add a Phillies castoff who could be a lefty-mashing specialist

A day after the Toronto Blue Jays officially announced that they added former Detroit Tigers prospect Carlos Mendoza to their organization, reports say they have now plucked an intriguing player from a National League team. News broke on Tuesday (Nov. 25) that the Blue Jays have signed infielder Rodolfo Castro, who spent the 2025 season within the Philadelphia Phillies system.

The Blue Jays add a Phillies castoff who could be a lefty-mashing specialist

The switch-hitting Castro will turn 27-years-old in May and has spent time in the majors, but not since 2023. Originally signed out of the Dominican Republic by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2015, Castro made his MBL debut in 2021, but was worth -0.4 bWAR in 31 games. He had a decent year the next season, getting into 71 games with the Pirates and was worth 1.4 bWAR, hitting 11 home runs and generating an OPS of .725.

But he couldn't replicate those numbers the following year and was traded at the deadline to the Phillies. Castro played in 14 games with the Phillies after the trade, but hasn't been back up to the majors in the two years since. He hit .235/.324/.421 with 19 home runs and 18 steals in 133 games with the Phillies Triple-A affiliate in 2025 and those power numbers are likely what caught the eye of the Blue Jays.

Castro may be a switch hitter, but at the big league level, he has been much better staying on the right side of the plate and hitting left handed pitchers. In 239 plate appearances at the big league level, he's hit .264/.331/.528 with an .858 OPS and 14 home runs. That could be the one skill set he needs to bring to the table in order to find a spot with the Blue Jays.

While Toronto has a crowded infield picture, especially if they bring back Bo Bichette, two of those players who figure to get regular playing time on the infield are Andrés Giménez and Addison Barger, both of whom hit left-handed, and both of whom struggled against southpaws. Castro can play up the middle and at third, and so he can spell Giménez and/or Barger when needed to get the Blue Jays the platoon advantage at the plate.

While there are plenty of other players who have a much longer track record of success at the big league level who the Blue Jays could bring aboard ahead of the 2026 season, stock piling that depth with players who have these specific skill sets are never a bad idea.