Diego Castillo Claimed by New York Mets

Diego Castillo is headed to the Big Apple

The 26-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball infielder has been claimed by the New York Mets off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Diego Castillo,Castillo appeared in one Major League Baseball game last year, flying out as a pinch hitter on July 31.

He hit .313 with 33 doubles, three home runs, 72 RBIs and 13 stolen bases in 124 games at Triple-A Reno.

Castillo made his major league debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2022, when he batted .206 with 11 home runs and 29 RBIs in 96 games. He was traded to Arizona in December 2022.

He was designated for assignment on December 22 to open a roster spot when the Diamondbacks re-signed outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Agrees to Three-Year, $42 Million Contract with Arizona Diamondbacks

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. isn’t leaving The Copper State.

The 30-year-old Cuban professional baseball player has agreed to a three-year, $42 million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks, with a club option for a fourth season, according to ESPN sources.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. The deal also includes an opt-out after the second season.

Gurriel had his best all-around season at the right time in 2023, coming to Arizona along with catcher Gabriel Moreno for outfielder Daulton Varsho in an offseason trade with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Gurriel hit .261/.309/.463, setting career highs in games (145), home runs (24) and WAR (3.0). He also had an excellent defensive season, ranking second to Steven Kwan among left fielders by saving 14 runs.

The Cuba native and younger brother of former Houston Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel was a high-profile infield prospect when Toronto originally signed him to a seven-year, $22 million contract before the 2017 season. He reached the Blue Jays in 2018, but his defensive struggles at shortstop and second base pushed him into the outfield.

Lourdes Gurriel hit 31 home runs in 141 games over the 2019-20 seasons and 21 in 2021, but he hit just five in 2022 and had wrist surgery after the season.

He was a secondary player to Moreno in the trade with the Diamondbacks but proved to be a key contributor as Arizona made the playoffs as a wild card and had a surprising run to the World Series.

Gurriel looks like a safe bet to keep up similar production in upcoming years, with 20-homer power and an above-average contact rate (79th percentile) that teams covet. His defense is unlikely to remain at the same level, which makes more him more of a projected league-average 2-win player moving forward than the 3-WAR value of 2023.

Arizona Diamondback Outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Becomes U.S. Citizen

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has missed his latest game… with good reason.

The 29-year-old Cuban professional baseball left fielder for the Arizona Diamondback was not in the starting lineup against the Miami Marlins on Monday night because he was late arriving to the ballpark.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr.,The 29-year-old had a good excuse, though. He was becoming a U.S. citizen.

“It’s a pretty amazing accomplishment for him,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. “Certainly proud of him. We excused him from all the pregame activity to take care of that today.”

Lourdes Gurriel Jr.,Lovullo said Gurriel would be available off the bench against the Marlins.

Gurriel was born in Cuba and defected to the U.S. with his older brother Yuli in 2016. Both players have had successful MLB careers since their arrival in the states.

Yuli Gurriel happened to be in town for his brother’s special occasion because he plays for the Marlins. He had several successful seasons with the Houston Astros before going to Miami in the offseason. He was batting third for the Marlins in Monday night’s game.

Lourdes Gurriel played his first five seasons for the Toronto Blue Jays before moving to the D-backs in an offseason trade. He has fit in well with his new team, batting .310 with five homers and 19 RBIs in 30 games.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. & Yuli Gurriel Make MLB History

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Yuli Gurriel have earned a place in the annals of Major League Baseball history…

The 24-yea-old Cuban baseball player for the Toronto Blue Jays and his older brother, the 34-year-old Cuban baseball player for the Houston Astros, have become the first brothers in major league history to have multi-homerun games on the same day.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. & Yuli Gurriel

Lourdes Gurriel homered in the first and fourth innings Friday night in the Blue Jays’ 11-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. In the process, he also became the first rookie in Blue Jays history to homer in three consecutive at-bats after hitting a game-tying homer in the ninth inning of Toronto’s victory Thursday.

Lourdes Gurriel, who has 11 homers this season, is the 14th Toronto player to record home runs in three straight at-bats, and the first since Josh Donaldson on September 16-17, 2017.

Houston’s Yuli Gurrielhit a grand slam in the first inning and added a two-run shot in the third inning of the Astros’ 11-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels. He has 12 homers this season.

“My parents were so happy that they didn’t know what to do with themselves, hearing the great news,” Yuli Gurriel said through an interpreter. “Sometimes I have a good game and sometimes he has a good game, but for us to have a great game together is very special.”

Added Lourdes: “I’m happy for him, but for me as well.”

Yuli Gurriel’s seven RBIs were the most for a Houston player since J.R. Towles set a franchise record with eight 11 years ago Friday.

The brothers will face off against each other for the first time as big leaguers next week when the Astros visit Toronto.

“I’m very happy, but I’m also curious,” Lourdes Gurriel said. “It’s a little bit weird.”