Philadelphia Phillies: 3 bargain free-agent infielders for bench depth

2. Harold Castro

Okay, I didn’t sell you on Willi Castro? How about the other Castro that was non-tendered by the Detroit Tigers last week? Harold Castro is another middle infielder that has versatility all over. Harold has arguably a better bat than Willi, but is older and will cost slightly more.

Last season, Harold hit .271, with seven home runs and 47 RBI. He failed to steal a base and rarely walked. He was worth -0.4 WAR according to FanGraphs last season, so it’s easy to see why the Tigers moved on from him. Still, Castro presents a solid bench piece at a reasonable price for the Phillies.

According to FanGraphs, Castro projects to hit .271 again — with decent power and is slightly more valuable than a replacement player. Although he was versatile in many positions, his defense was subpar. He won’t improve any of the Phillies’ goals of improving their defense as a unit.

So. what would Castro provide? He is an established veteran utility player with a solid bat that provides versatility at several different positions. He is not a player that you are betting on their untapped potential. He’s a steady hand that would fit in quite nicely with the younger players throughout the Phillies infield.