Dodgers: Starlin Castro is a great trade candidate at second base

The Los Angeles Dodgers are heating up and like the last two years, may look to add deadline talent. That deadline talent could include Marlins second baseman, Starlin Castro.

Despite battling some of the worst injury luck in baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers clawed back to a 32-30 record and are just 2.5 games out of first place in the NL West.

The Dodgers are missing four of the team’s five starting pitchers from the beginning of the season. If you count Julio Urias, the Dodgers are missing an entire starting rotation of credible guys.

In their absence, though, the likes of Walker Buehler and Ross Stripling have stepped up. And while the Dodgers are still battling with what exactly to do with the rotation, when healthy, the Dodgers will have seven quality arms to start ballgames.

Because of this, assuming that the team does indeed get healthy, the need for a starting pitcher at the trade deadline has fallen. Now, the Dodgers, who understandably may be looking to add talent, should be looking at another area of the roster.

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That area is the weakest of the entire roster: second base.

Logan Forsythe has the everyday duties of second base with Chase Utley sidelined on the disabled list. However, utility man Enrique Hernandez, Breyvic Valera and Austin Barnes have all help at the position.

Despite seemingly having depth, the Dodgers rank 22nd in the MLB in fWAR (0.4) among second baseman. The Brewers, Padres and Rockies trail the Dodgers as the only three National League teams with a worse fWAR.

The only reason the fWAR is in that position is because of Hernandez and Barnes, who account for a combined 0.8 WAR. The two have combined for just 15 starts at the position.

Instead, the position has been held back by Logan Forsythe, who has accounted for a -0.3 fWAR thus far. Granted, he has battled injuries, but his unproductive offense is starting to outweigh his good defense. Thus, with Forsythe on an expiring deal anyway, the Dodgers need to look at alternatives.

Enter Starlin Castro, who was traded to the Miami Marlins in the Giancarlo Stanton trade and likely does not have a long-term future with the team. With the Marlins having an NL-worst 23 wins, it would seem foolish to not trade Castro for young assets.

Castro has been pretty good for the Marlins this season as well and likely would thrive in a lineup around better hitters like the Dodgers. Overall, Castro has the 11th-best fWAR among MLB second basemen (1.0).

Castro is hitting .293 on the season with three home runs and 24 RBIs. He may not be the best power hitter but he also is not necessarily put in the best positions to succeed. Castro showed the potential to be a 20 home run hitter with the Yankees and realistically floats around 15 home runs and 60 to 70 RBIs.

Castro is a career .282 hitter, so he obviously sees the baseball pretty well. He is one of only four second basemen to log 5000 plate appearances since his debut in 2010. Only Robinson Cano has a better batting average.

What makes Castro such a good fit is he fits left-handed pitching better but is still consistent against both hands. This season, Castro is hitting .315 against southpaws and .286 against right-handed pitchers.

Finally, Castro gives the Dodgers an option to play second past 2018, something the team does not have with Logan Forsythe. Castro is under contract for the 2019 season with a club option for 2020.

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He will make $10 million in 2018, $11 million in 2019 and $16 million in 2020, if the Dodgers were to accept his option. Not only is Castro a great on the field presence, he does not but the team in a financial corner.

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