Former Guardians prospect who blossomed elsewhere signs with Rockies

The Cleveland Guardians don’t have many prospects who you can say were the ones who “got away.” Sure, watching Junior Caminero slug baseballs to the moon in Tampa is a bit depressing when you consider the Guardians gave him up for 60 ineffective innings from Tobias Myers in Triple-A, but he’s one of the few that fall into that category. 

Another one of those prospects (albeit on a smaller scale) is Willi Castro, who Cleveland traded to Detroit at the trade deadline in 2018 in exchange for center fielder Leonys Martín. 

It’s a trade the Guardians’ front office would like back, as Martín suffered a bacterial infection after arriving in Cleveland and only played in 71 games with Cleveland 

Meanwhile, Castro blossomed into an everyday player with the Tigers before eventually becoming an All-Star with the Twins.

Now after a rough half season with the Cubs at the end of 2025, Castro’s found a new home with the Colorado Rockies, who signed him to a multi-year deal on Thursday, per ESPN’s Jorge Castillo. 

FanSided’s Robbert Murray added that Castro’s contract will be worth$12.8 million. 

Former Guardians prospect Willi Castro inks new deal with the Colorado Rockies 

Castro’s best season came in 2024 when he earned an All-Star nod by slashing .247/.331/.385 with 12 home runs, 60 RBI and 14 steals while playing every position but catcher and first base. 

That utility has become his calling card, as he’s appeared in 40+ games at multiple positions in three straight seasons. 

He got his start during that aforementioned stint with the Tigers. He made his MLB debut for the lowly Tigers in 2019 and became an everyday player in 2020, ‘21 and ‘22 to varying results. The Tigers non-tendered him after the 2022 season where he latched on with the Twins. 

Minnesota flipped him to the Cubs at the deadline last year, though he hit just .170 down the stretch for the Cubs. 

He’s shown more power in recent years (11 home runs in 2025 after 14 in 2024), though he still finished in the 28th percentile or worse in barrel rate, hard-hit rate, chase rate and whiff rate. 

The good news for him is that he’s going to get plenty of chances to right the ship away for a Rockies team that’s still stuck in a rebuild.

The Rockies have rookies Kyle Karros, Ryan Ritter and Blaine Crim set to play in the middle infield (along with old friend Tyler Freeman), but Castro should still get plenty of chances to bounce around the infield in relief of them. 

Even though Castro isn’t as good of a utility option as Gabriel Arias or Daniel Schneemann, he’s still a valuable player who got away from the Guardians for essentially nothing.