It was early December when former Yankees infielder Starlin Castro was traded from the Bronx to Miami in the deal which put superstar Giancarlo Stanton in pinstripes. Castro went from a young core in New York that will be World Series contending this year to a Marlins team that looks like a potential 100-loss squad. The Marlins have gutted their team of stars including Stanton, Christian Yelich, Dee Gordon, and Marcell Ozuna in an epic fire sale that may not even be done.

ESPN had reported that Castro wanted out of Miami, along with other veterans on the team.

Nobody can blame him for not wanting to be a part of the Marlins right now, and there were even rumors that he was going to be traded after getting to Miami. No trades have been made, so right now he is in camp with the rest of the Marlins squad. With the way the Marlins have made moves, one cannot help but wonder if he will be shipped off at some point this year.

A new role

When Castro came up with the Chicago Cubs in 2010 as a 20-year-old, he embraced the role of the young kid with a bright future. For five years, Castro was one of the centerpieces of the Theo Epstein rebuild. After their playoff run in 2015, he was shipped off to New York to make room for Ben Zobrist. At that point, he was only 25 going on 26 and went to a Yankees team that was also revamping with talented youth.

He saw the transition of veteran team to young competitors in just two years in New York, as the Yankees came within one win of reaching the World Series.

Now, about to turn 28, he is no longer the youthful kid playing with veterans. He is a veteran playing with a lot of inexperienced guys. He will not be looking up to guys, as guys will be looking up to him as a veteran presence on the field.

While he apparently did not want to be part of the Marlins when he first got there, he told ESPN Deportes' Enrique Rojas that he will make the best of things.

"I am happy to be here now, with a good group of young guys and competitors," Castro said. "I will try to give my best and have a good time -- I'll do what I learned.

Especially when I went up to the big leagues, I had someone who was my mentor, so I'll be that for the new guys."

How long will he be a Marlin?

The earliest trade rumors surrounding Castro came right after he was traded to Miami. The biggest one circling around was that he would possibly be dealt to the Mets. So far, nothing came of it, but it was a topic of conversation for some time. In terms of his contract, he is under control for three more years and has a club option in his final year. He will be making $10,857,143 total in 2018, which includes bonuses. So he certainly is not a rental piece.

The Marlins have been selling like crazy, which could make one believe Castro could be sold. It is also possible he could be flipped at the deadline for more prospects for the Marlins to build around.

If he has another good year at the plate, he could be worth some value, especially with team control. However, it is also possible he will be part of Miami's rebuilding plans. He may be going on 28, but that is still relatively young enough to be part of a rebuild as both a veteran and a piece of the future. Only time will tell.
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