Starlin Castro RUMORS & NEWS

Chicago Tribune "Ryan Dempster and Kerry Wood are long gone, and a new breed of leaders has emerged in the Cubs clubhouse. President Theo Epstein cited Anthony Rizzo and Jeff Samardzija as two examples. "And (Starlin) Castro is showing he's in that group in his own way," Epstein said. "When you play 162..." April 04

ESPN.com "Should Chicago Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro play all 162 games again this season? Manager Dale Sveum has the definitive view on the topic. "When you're thinking about winning the division by one game or getting in the wild card by one game and give those guys too many days off and you..." March 27

ESPN.com "Chicago Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro is expected to return to the lineup on Wednesday after missing two weeks because of a strained left hamstring. Manager Dale Sveum said Castro likely will start on Wednesday and play four or five innings against the Colorado Rockies. The 22-year-old All-Star..." March 12

ESPN.com "Chicago Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro was hoping for a return to the lineup this weekend, but manager Dale Sveum said Thursday it more than likely it will be next week. "Everything is great," Sveum said. "He'll do a normal day today. He'll probably play Monday or Wednesday depending on what we..." March 07

CSN Chicago "This could have been a nightmare scenario for the Cubs, their All-Star shortstop hobbling off the field. Starlin Castro survived a scary moment during Wednesday’s 11-7 loss to the Dodgers at HoHoKam Stadium. Castro pulled up running to first base and left the game with left hamstring tightness,..." February 28

Chicago Tribune "The Cubs have had their share of heartbreaking spring training injuries, including Kerry Wood's season-ending elbow injury in 1999 and Mark Prior's Achilles tendon injury in 2004. So when Starlin Castro pulled up lame while running to first in the fourth inning of Wednesday's Cactus League game..." February 28

Bleed Cubbie Blue "This game was ridiculously long. Those of you of a certain age will remember how Johnny Carson used to make remarks like that, to which the retort was, "How long was it?" No innuendo here, just facts. They barely got out of the second inning after an hour had gone by. Two hours, top of the..." February 27

Chicago Tribune "Chicago Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro left Wednesday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers with a hamstring injury after pulling up lame running out a ground ball to short. Castro was trying to beat out an infield single to short in the fourth inning when he grabbed his leg halfway down the..." February 27

CSN Chicago "Nothing seems to faze Starlin Castro. Not getting to The Show some six weeks after his 20th birthday, without a single at-bat at Triple-A Iowa, and only 57 games at Double-A Tennessee. Not a regime change at Clark and Addison that had the front office wondering whether he could stay at..." February 20

Chicago Tribune "Chicago Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro looks at Darwin Barney’s Gold Glove award with the slightest bit of envy. As much as he’s accomplished in his first three seasons with the Cubs- two All-Star appearances and 529 hits- there are still areas where Castro needs to improve, including his..." February 19

Cubbies Crib "Cubs' manager Dale Sveum has made the expectations for Starlin Castro perfectly clear: It's your time to shine – take control of your own destiny. While Sveum himself cannot be directly quoted, Carrie Muskat (Chicago Cubs beat writer) has reported that this is the message being sent in the..." January 14

Chicago Tribune "The Cubs wanted Starlin Castro to be a model citizen, improve his fielding, add a little power and use his speed more often this year. Castro did all of those things to some degree and ultimately was rewarded with a seven-year, $60 million deal, with a $16 million option for 2020. For..." October 11

ESPN.com "Cubs first-year manager Dale Sveum might have been hardest on Starlin Castro this season, but he also showed him the utmost respect. Although he didn't exactly come out and say it, Sveum suggested that Castro will end up playing in al 162 games, meaning that even if he does go with a..." October 01

CSN Chicago "Starlin Castro yelled at himself and walked slowly back to the dugout, checking the replay on the video board in left field and squeezing the bat as if he wanted to break it over his knee. Colorado Rockies closer Rafael Betancourt had just struck out Castro with three straight pitches clocked..." September 28

ESPN.com "The plan this offseason is for Chicago Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro to work on his shyness. This is less about his personality, though, as it is about how he plays on the infield. The Cubs would like Castro to stop lingering as far back on the infield as possible and show his face closer..." September 27

Chicago Sun-Times "Two-time All-Star Starlin Castro has goals in sight for 2013, and they go beyond being a consistent .300 hitter while driving in runs. His dreams are about teaming with Darwin Barney as the best middle-infield pair in baseball. ''I look at him all the time and what he's done,'' Castro said..." September 18

ESPN.com "One of these seasons the Chicago Cubs' Starlin Castro figures to finally get that spot in the batting order that he can call his own, although it might not be for a while. The versatile Castro has been used most often in the No. 2, 3 and 5 spots this season, with much of his recent success..." September 17

Chicago Tribune "Starlin Castro may be a two-time All-Star who has twice hit above .300, but the Cubs would like to see him get "to another level" offensively. Manager Dale Sveum is among those urging Castro to eliminate his leg kick and hand movements, especially in key at-bats like one Friday when he hit a..." September 16

Chicago Tribune "The Cubs often pointed to Carlos Zambrano's $91 million contract extension in August 2007 as the beginning of a marked change in his clubhouse and on-field demeanor. Zambrano began thinking of himself as the superstar nicknamed "Big Z," more than one player said, rather than the once-affable..." September 14

CSN Chicago "Sometimes it seems like everyone around the Cubs is getting a bridge year – except for Starlin Castro. Theo Epstein is taking his time laying the foundation for sustained success – and the team president clearly believes the 22-year-old All-Star shortstop will be a building block. Manager..." September 13

Chicago Sun-Times "Barely six months ago, on a warm, uncomfortable day in Mesa, Ariz., Starlin Castro looked into a bank of news cameras and microphones and talked for the first time about sexual-assault allegations made against him last fall. On Tuesday, ahead of the Cubs' 4-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, he..." August 29

Chicago Tribune "The new Cubs regime has created a revolving door of hit-and-miss talent this season, but Tuesday it made the first long-term commitment to the future. And the first seven-year, $60 million contract went to a Jim Hendry holdover, Starlin Castro, because "we're building a young core and Starlin's..." August 29

CSN Chicago "The Cubs and shortstop Starlin Castro have officially agreed to terms on a seven-year deal that includes a club option for an eighth season in 2020. Castro leads the National League with 486 hits since making his major league debut on May 7, 2010. He became the youngest player and the first..." August 28

ESPN.com "The Chicago Cubs and shortstop Starlin Castro have closed the gap on contract negotiations and could announce on Tuesday the official agreement on a seven-year, $59 million dollar deal, according to a major league source. The contract money was agreed to 10 days ago as first reported by ESPN..." August 28

Chicago Sun-Times "The Cubs' future will be on display Tuesday with Starlin Castro and Darwin Barney in the spotlight. For Castro, the day is expected to bring the signing of a seven-year, $60 million contract that will lock him up as a team cornerstone for the Theo Epstein era. For Barney, the day could bring..." August 28

Chicago Sun-Times "They don't have a pitching staff for next season, but the Cubs are on the verge of securing a face of the franchise for the rest of the decade. In what will be the Theo Epstein-led front office's biggest financial commitment to date, the Cubs are close to finalizing a seven-year, $60 million..." August 19

ESPN.com "Chicago Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro has agreed to a seven-year contract extension worth $60 million, a source told ESPNdeportesLosAngeles.com. The contract covers four years of arbitration eligibility and three years of free agency, and includes a $16 million option for 2020. Castro, 22, was..." August 18

Chicago Tribune "Starlin Castro said he wants to be with the Cubs his entire career and Theo Epstein is intent on retaining the club's young core. After word surfaced that Castro's agent has been involved in conversations with management about a long-term contract, the Cubs president told reporters Friday..." August 18

Chicago Tribune "The Cubs are working on a long-term contract extension for two-time All-Star shortstop Starlin Castro. A team source late Thursday confirmed a CSNChicago.com report and said talks are progressing. Castro, 22, is in his third season with the Cubs. He made a splash in his big-league debut May 7,..." August 17

ESPN.com "Starlin Castro has played the bulk of the season in three separate lineup spots for the Chicago Cubs and none of them seem to be the one best suited for his abilities, which is the way manager Dale Sveum sees it. For the time being, Castro has been able to stop his rapidly plummeting batting..." August 13

Chicago Tribune "Here's how Chicago's All-Stars fared Tuesday night in the National League's 8-0 victory over the American League. Chris Sale, Sox left-hander: Pitched the sixth inning for the AL, allowing two singles but no runs with one strikeout. Chipper Jones, one of Sale's boyhood heroes, had one of the..." July 11

Chicago Sun-Times "Somewhere among the mob of cameras, microphones and recorders was the latest phenom. At least that's what the poster above the table read: Bryce Harper. Big, bold letters. It was tough to get near the Washington Nationals' 19-year-old outfielder, let alone ask him a question during the..." July 10

Chicago Tribune "Starlin Castro headed to the All-Star Game on a positive note Sunday with a pair of hits, including a three-run home run. Asked if he has seen any growth in Castro, Ryan Dempster cracked: "Obviously he's not turning around and looking in the outfield when pitches are going this year. That's..." July 09

Chicago Sun-Times "Starlin Castro approached Darwin Barney when spring training started in February with one goal in mind. ''I want to be the best two up the middle in the league,'' the All-Star shortstop told his second baseman, ''be the best two guys on the double play, the best two guys on the relay,..." July 06

Chicago Sun-Times "Can Starlin Castro develop into the kind of hitter that even begins to approximate the ``selective aggressiveness'' that the Theo Epstein-Jed Hoyer front office wants to make and organizational hallmark the way they did in Boston? That's at least debatable. But Epstein said he believes that the..." June 23

Chicago Sun-Times "The catch Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro made Tuesday — a play on which he sprinted into left-center field to reach Alejandro De Aza's no-man's-land pop-up, only to have it bounce out of his glove before he bare-handed it for the out — is why you don't trade this guy. Well, that and his ability..." June 21

Foxsports.com "The Mariners in recent weeks touched base with the Cubs on shortstop Starlin Castro, asked the Royals about designated hitter Billy Butler, talked to other clubs about other hitters. None of the talks progressed, according to major league sources. Virtually every team contacted the Cubs about..." June 21

Chicago Tribune "Ten months later, Starlin Castro finally gets a chance for some revenge against Bobby Valentine, the Red Sox manager who ripped the Cubs' star last August in his former role as an ESPN analyst. "I don't care about that," Castro said. "I don't think about that. It happened, and now let it go...." June 15

Chicago Tribune "Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said management had nothing to do with the way manager Dale Sveum handled Starlin Castro's latest mental gaffe. "That was something we talked about (with Sveum) during the (managerial) interview process," Hoyer said. "(Castro) already had had that 'Bobby..." June 07

Chicago Tribune "Starlin Castro is in the Cubs' starting lineup against the Brewers on Tuesday night, a day after his mental gaffe infuriated manager Dale Sveum in San Francisco. Sveum on Monday called it the "last straw" but spoke with Castro about it later and said Tuesday the 22-year-old shortstop "felt..." June 06

Chicago Sun-Times "There had to be a breaking point for Cubs manager Dale Sveum. It finally came Monday, and All-Star shortstop Starlin Castro is on "last straw'' alert in the wake of a 3-2 loss Monday and four-game sweep at the hands of the San Francisco Giants. With one out in the fifth inning, the Cubs..." June 05

Chicago Tribune "Starlin Castro may find himself on the bench soon if his lack of focus continues, or at least that's the latest threat from his manager. Castro's second mental gaffe in the four-game sweep by the Giants occurred during the fifth inning of the Cubs' 3-2 loss Monday when the 22-year-old shortstop..." June 05

Chicago Sun-Times "Multiple sources from inside and outside the Cubs' organization refuted a USA Today report Thursday that the team was making All-Star shortstop Starlin Castro available in possible trades. Once next week's draft is complete, the Cubs are expected to shift their focus toward the July 31 trading..." June 01

Houston Chronicle "The tipping point: The Astros had two outs and nobody on base against Matt Garza in the second inning when Chris Johnson singled, J.D. Martinez walked and Jason Castro homered to right center (on an 0-2 pitch, no less). An inning later, the Astros struck again with a two-out, run scoring single...." May 22

Chicago Sun-Times "Hall of Famer Robin Yount started his career as a shortstop and committed 44 errors in his second season. He followed that with seasons of 31, 26, 30, 25 and 28 errors. Yount was 18 years old when he broke into the majors, having played only rookie ball before joining the Milwaukee..." April 23

Chicago Tribune "Cook County prosecutors have declined to charge Starlin Castro over accusations by a woman that the Cubs shortstop sexually assaulted her at his Chicago home last fall. Sally Daly, a spokeswoman with the state's attorney's office, said Friday there was insufficient evidence to charge Castro..." April 21

Chicago Tribune "When Starlin Castro returned to Chicago in mid-January from his offseason home in the Dominican Republic to appear at the Cubs Convention, Chicago police interviewed him at Area 3 headquarters regarding a young woman's allegation of sexual assault from an encounter in September. Now, with..." April 04

Chicago Sun-Times "When the Cubs' new bosses talk about the parallel tracks of building the organization from below while trying to win at the big-league level, Starlin Castro is the man with one foot on each track. And the Castro Express continues full speed into the season. Manager Dale Sveum has made Castro..." April 01

Chicago Sun-Times "It was barely two years ago that Ryan Theriot uttered maybe the most infamous words of his Cubs career: ''He's going to have to come and get it.'' Three months later, Starlin Castro did just that, taking the shortstop job from Theriot. Three teams later, Theriot was in the San Francisco Giants'..." March 17