Chicago Cubs Stop at Twins Garage Sale for Willi Castro

We heard reports that the Minnesota Twins were going to get serious as sellers days prior to the MLB trade deadline. The extent that they’d part with pieces remained to be seen, but the aftermath on Thursday afternoon has been jarring.

After trading Harrison Bader and Brock Stewart, the Twins shocked the world and sent Carlos Correa back to the Houston Astros. They then moved bullpen arm Danny Coulombe to the Texas Rangers, and Willi Castro now leaves for the Chicago Cubs.

Players were very upset with Rocco Baldelli on Wednesday after his miscommunicated removal of Castro from the game, leading to chaos in the locker room. The skipper was right though, as that was the last time Twins fans would see the utility man this season.

Minnesota Twins send Willi Castro to the North Side

Willi Castro has been among the best success stories in recent Minnesota Twins history. They picked him up off the Detroit Tigers scrap heap, and turned him into an All-Star. Playing even better this season, and in the final year of arbitration, it was all but assumed he was gone.

Willi Castro to Cubs for prospects

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 31, 2025

At the trade deadline players like Willi Castro are incredibly valuable. His versatility in the outfield and infield is unmatched, and making just $6.4 million this season keeps him affordable.

His 103 OPS+ is backed by a .245/.335/.407 slash line. That’s up from where he finished last year, and that was a campaign that sent him to the Midsummer Classic and had him being named the team MVP.

Willi Castro crushes his 10th home run of the season for the Twins! ⚾ What a shot! pic.twitter.com/cKoMZ6F0Fp

— MiloX Sports MLB (@MiloXSportsMLB) July 19, 2025

At 63-45 the Chicago Cubs are just a single game behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central Division. Both have their eyes on the playoffs, but Chicago would like to make the postseason without having to go through the wild card gauntlet.

Related: MN Twins Shock the World: Carlos Correa Back to Astros

Castro will leave the Twins as one of the biggest fan favorites in recent memory. He would be an ideal candidate for the club to re-sign next season over the offseason as well.

Double-A pitchers headed back to Minnesota Twins

Although Castro was one of the more intriguing bats available at the trade deadline, he’s still marginally better than league average and an impending free agent. That muted the return Minnesota could expect to get.

Cubs sending Double-A pitchers Ryan Gallagher and Sam Armstrong back to Minnesota in the deal for Castro.

— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) July 31, 2025

Gallagher was a sixth round pick by Chicago during the 2024 MLB draft. He just recently reached Double-A and has made a pair of starts allowing just two runs on five hits across 11 1/3 innings. This is his first professional season, and across 84 innings he owns a 3.43 ERA with a 96/20 K/BB.

The Cubs took Armstrong in the 13th round of the 2023 MLB Draft. He too is at Double-A Knoxville this season, but owns a 4.62 ERA with a 72/31 K/BB across 89 2/3 innings. He is nearly 25 years old, and the Twins will need to push him aggressively if they expect him to contribute at the big league level.

A pair of low-ceiling pitching prospects are a fair return for Castro. Now Falvey will need to hope his pitching development pipeline can do wonders with the new talent.