The Trade (Continued)
Fans Debate Castillo Trade
by Caitlen Sullivan
Halifax Chronicle Herald Sports Editor
April 1, 2026
Opening Day again! The inanities of Spring Training are finally over and it’s time for real baseball. For anyone who cares, the Hawks won 17, lost 11 during the spring, best record in the Johnson League save for Huntsville who went 18-10. Of course, that means absolutely nothing.
As the fans file into the ballpark tonight in Huntsville for the Hawk season opener, most of the talk back in the Atlantic Time zone (exclusively populated by the Hawks) is about one thing only: Domingo Castillo’s trade to Vancouver. Castillo was extremely popular in Halifax, and fan interest is likely to suffer as a result of his absence (*)
(*) The Halifax front office is also expected to announce prior to game time that catcher Elroy Hinson has signed a five-year extension for $16.65 million a year, the last year being a player option. Since Hinson is also held it extremely high esteem by the fans, his extension may well ameliorate some of the disappointment about the less of Castillo.
While it has been no secret whatsoever that Halifax management has not been happy with Castillo’s performance, it still comes as a surprise to many that he was traded for so little. Is he that good and did they get so little? There are many aspects to consider:
- Castillo pulls down $16 million this year. There was certainly no cap pressure to release him this season as the team is under the cap and not expected to make any moves that would require cap space.
- Why not extend his contract? His agent is demanding $18 million with increases up to $24 million over six years. An initial glance at finances shows that Halifax may have enough cap room to pay him big bucks, but that is misleading since they also face extending Elroy Hinson (big bucks!) and Roberto Ramos (significant bucks!) not to mention possibly escalating arbitration requirements to keep Cisco Guerrero and Edgar Jones. The team has been unhappy paying Castillo $16 million. There is no way it is going pay him more money on a contract extending well into his 30’s.
- So why not see if he has a good year to help in the divisional title race and then trade him at the deadline? Well, maybe 2026 will mimic 2022 when he missed many moths due to two serious arm problems. The fact that the team doctor labels him fragile doesn’t inspire a lot of hope that he will stay healthy for a fourth straight year. If he does suffer serious injury, his value will drop dramatically when he returns.
- Why not demand more than a young closer in return? Well, the team did try to get more from several other interested parties. Either the value wasn’t there or the other party wanted to dump back an equal amount of salary. Halifax management highly values the closer role. Wally López was the best available option to fill that role. He is young, cost contained, under team control for several years, has good stamina, has two excellent pitches, and brings it home with good stuff at 100 mph. He will strike out a lot of guys and walk only a few. Yes, he could have better movement on his pitches, but his excellent fastball and slider should be ideal for a closer. (Don’t throw the changeup, Wally!) He will be pitching in a tougher pitcher’s park, but we think he will get the job done.