Castro, 29, is a veteran utility player who’s played primarily second base and shortstop, with spot duty at third base and in the outfield. He made the

The Puerto Rican native is a switch-hitter who has shown the ability to get on base. He can provide a spark by stealing a base.

Thursday, the free agent and the Rockies agreed to terms on a two-year, $12.8 million contract, a source confirmed. The club has not officially announced the deal.

The Rockies, coming off three consecutive 100-loss seasons, including a 119-loss season in 2025, need some experience in the infield. Colorado finished the season with rookies Kyle Karros at third base, Ryan Ritter at second base and Blaine Crim at first base.

Castro had a breakout with the Twins in 2023, who picked him up after he was non-tendered by the Tigers following the 2022 season. He signed a minor league deal with Minnesota but made the big-league roster and played in 124 games, slashing .257/.339./411, hitting nine home runs and stealing 33 bases in 38 attempts.

In 2024, he slashed .247/.331/.385, hit a career-high 12, drove in 60 runs and swiped 14 bases. He played every position except for catcher and first base. He pitched two emergency innings.

Castro was having a similar season in the first half of 2025, but was part of the Twins’ fire sale at the trade deadline and was dealt to the Cubs. He played sparingly for Chicago (34 games, 110 plate appearances) and hit just .170.

More moves coming? The Rockies officially signed right-hander Michael Lorenzen on Thursday. The deal will guarantee Lorenzen $8 million for 2026, with a club option for $9 million in 2027. To clear room on their 40-man roster, the Rockies designated right-hander Bradley Blalock for assignment.

The club might not be done reshaping its rotation, even after picking up right-hander Keegan Thompson off waivers from Cincinnati on Wednesday.

“We all need (pitchers), all 30 teams,” said Paul DePodesta, the new president of baseball operations. “We are all looking for arms, especially ones that are starting. That’s a quest we will always be on, to find additions we can make.

“There are also some position spots we would like to fill, and we have been having conversations about those as well.”

Coors Field alterations? The Rockies might look at changing the outfield dimensions at Coors Field at some point in the future. Emphasis on might.

But for now, the Rockies will not follow the path of the Kansas City Royals, who announced this week that they are Kauffman and Coors feature the two biggest outfields in the majors.

“I think we need to explore everything,” DePodesta said. “But look, I don’t think we are far enough along in (many) areas to determine the right path to take.

“But we are logging all of the questions we want to answer, and that’s certainly one of them — to understand how (Coors Field) plays and how any change to the ballpark might impact that. But I think it’s probably too early to go down that road.”

At Kauffman, the left- and right-field walls will be moved in by 9 to 10 feet, starting close to the foul poles and tapering toward the center field wall, which will remain 410 feet from home plate. In most places in the outfield, the height of the fence will be shortened from 10 feet to 8½.

“There’s a lot of different things that go into it,” “During the course of the season, we just started doing some research, running some numbers and trying to figure out how much this really impacts our offense.

“Consequently, how would it affect our pitching staff? Ultimately, we concluded that we would be a better team offensively. With our current pitching staff, the changes in the dimensions wouldn’t impact (pitching) negatively as much as it impacts our offense positively.”

No, not because of the Rockies’ dreadful season. Like many of you, I’ve become numb to the mounting losses.

My brain is doing cartwheels because my boss suggested that I write about Major League Baseball’s future expansion and possible realignment as the topic for my weekly journal. Thanks, Mr. Schubert.

So I read various opinions, contemplated rivalries, considered playoff implications, played around with geography, thought about schedules, and fretted over baseball’s history and cherished records.

Why write about this now? After all, expansion is years away, and we don’t even know which two cities will be selected when MLB grows from 30 to 32 teams.

Here’s why it’s a hot topic: Commissioner Rob Manfred recently discussed it on ESPN.

“I think if we expand, it provides us with an opportunity to geographically realign,” Manfred said. “I think we could save a lot of wear and tear on our players in terms of travel.”

Manfred also talked about TV broadcast schedules, time zones, and the need to grow the game. The last MLB expansion event was in 1998 when Arizona and Tampa Bay joined. The time has come to expand. My front-runners are Salt Lake City, Nashville, Portland, and Charlotte. Picking two from that group will be tough. However, there are other cities in the running.

I’ve seen various plans for realignment. Many would scrap the American and National leagues. One plan would create four eight-team divisions.

The plan I like most would create eight four-team divisions, based on geography. I would keep the American and National leagues and protect division rivalries such as Yankees-Red Sox, Dodgers-Giants and Cardinals-Cubs.

The Rockies would leave the NL West and jump to an AL division. The Dodgers wouldn’t be able to bully the Rockies year after year. And let’s face it, the Rockies don’t have a rival.

Here’s how the realignment would look:

AL East
• Baltimore Orioles
• Boston Red Sox
• New York Yankees
• Toronto Blue Jays

Traditional rivals, tough crowds, and good baseball.

AL West
• Las Vegas Athletics
• Los Angeles Angels
• Salt Lake City or Portland
• Seattle Mariners

It’s a sensible plan for travel purposes, and who knows, maybe Vegas vs. Salt Lake turns into a rivalry.

AL North
• Chicago White Sox
• Cleveland Guardians
• Detroit Tigers
• Minnesota Twins

The weather would be a problem in the spring and fall, but those fans are used to it.

AL South

• Colorado Rockies
• Houston Astros
• Kansas City Royals
• Texas Rangers

Hey, Denver and K.C. are both on I-70, right? Additionally, Colorado is a playground for wealthy Texans, making it a natural fit.

NL East
• New York Mets
• Philadelphia Phillies
• Pittsburgh Pirates
• Washington Nationals

The Pirates have to switch divisions, but I’m not sure it matters. Fans from Philly and Queens can continue to duke it out.

NL West
• Arizona Diamondbacks
• Los Angeles Dodgers
• San Diego Padres
• San Francisco Giants

The division stays the same, except for the loss of the Rockies. I’m betting West Coast pitchers won’t miss Coors Field.

NL North
• Chicago Cubs
• Cincinnati Reds
• Milwaukee Brewers
• St. Louis Cardinals

Good, strong baseball fans in Middle America.

NL South
• Atlanta Braves
• Miami Marlins
• Nashville or Charlotte
• Tampa Bay Rays

This would be the most problematic division because, once the Braves get their act together, they would dominate.

Now, on to the schedule.

I’m not an analytical person, so I turned to Hall of Fame baseball writer Jayson Stark for his concept. Stark foresees the possibility of MLB cutting its schedule from 162 games to 156.

Here’s what :

“One club official we spoke with this week casually referred to baseball’s current 162-game slog as ‘an endangered species.’ Another longtime club executive, also granted anonymity so he could speak freely, was even more emphatic. ‘Expansion,’ he said, ‘means the end of 162.’ ”

I’m OK with that. I could even buy into returning to 154 games. Of course, fewer games could mean less money for the players, and their union could balk at that idea. Some fans might worry about records, but baseball survived the change from 154 to 162, and it survived lockouts, strikes and steroids.

But for the sake of this exercise, let’s return to Stark’s idea of 156:

• Twelve games versus each of the other three teams inside the division (36 games).

• Six games versus the other 12 teams in your league (72).

• Three games versus the 16 teams from the other league (48).

That brings us to 156. The players could get more days off, and maybe the World Series would stick to October, where it belongs.

Stark suggests expanding the playoffs from 12 teams to 16. I can’t go there. I don’t want half of the teams in the playoffs. I say, stick with 12 teams, six from each league. That would break down to four division winners and two wild-card teams from each league.

So, there you have it. Your Colorado Rockies, AL South champions in 2034!

Entering the weekend, 6,319 home runs had been launched at Coors — 3,187 by the Rockies and 3,132 by the visitors — one no-hitter had been thrown, and a few other no-nos nearly came to be. An announced 81,896,843 fans have witnessed countless memories over that time. Here are the 30 most unforgettable:

30. Spoiler alert

Date: Sept. 27, 1998

The Giants needed a win on the final day of the season to clinch a wild-card berth. Neifi Perez had other ideas, hitting a walk-off homer in the ninth off Robb Nen to beat the Giants, 9-8. The Giants were forced to play the Cubs in the wild-card tiebreaker game, which they lost, 5-3, at Wrigley Field.

29. LoDo snow job

Date: April 16, 2013

The Mets and Rockies woke up to 9 inches of snow but managed to play a doubleheader. Rockies owner Dick Monfort and Mets general manager Sandy Alderson were among those who grabbed snow shovels. The Rockies warmed up by sweeping the Mets, 8-4 and 9-8.

28. A 20-spot vs. BoSox

Date: July 24, 2024

There wasn’t a lot to cheer about during a 101-loss season, but Colorado rocked the Red Sox on a 93-degree day, mashing four home runs, including the first grand slam of Brenton Doyle’s career in a 20-7 win. The Rockies’ 20 runs tied a franchise high.

27. Catcher pitches a win

Date: Aug. 22, 2000

Catcher Brett Mayne delivered a victory for the Rockies in the 12th inning against the Braves. He became the first position player in 32 years to record a big-league pitching victory. Mayne stranded two runners by retiring Chipper Jones on a check-swing grounder for the final out. Rocky Colavito had been the last position player to win a game from the mound, pitching 2 ⅔ shutout innings as the Yankees defeated Detroit on Aug. 25, 1968, the year Mayne was born.

26. Avs ice Red Wings

Date: Feb. 26, 2016

A crowd of 43,319 showed up to watch Avalanche alumni beat the Red Wings’ old-timers, 5-2, on the eve of the Stadium Series regular-season game between the rivals. Avs defenseman Ray Bourque had a goal and two assists, and Joe Sakic, the Avalanche’s longtime captain and the team’s general manager, had a goal and an assist. Goaltender Patrick Roy, then the Avs’ 50-year-old coach, stopped 20 of 21 shots in two periods.

25. Opener in time of COVID

Date: July 31, 2020

It was 85 degrees at first pitch, and there were no fans in the stands, but they played baseball at Coors for the first time in 2020.  A smattering of fans showed up, set up camp chairs on the sidewalk on Blake Street, and peered through the gates. The Padres beat the Rockies 8-7 when closer Wade Davis gave up four runs in the ninth.

24. Alonso shells Coors

Date: July 12, 2021

Mets slugger Pete Alonso pronounced himself “the best power hitter on the planet” and then proved it in the Home Run Derby. Alonso successfully defended his 2019 crown — there was no event in 2020 due to the pandemic — by topping Trey Mancini of the Orioles in the final round, joining Ken Griffey Jr. (1998-99) and Yoenis Céspedes (2013-14) as the only back-to-back derby champs.

23. Independence Day Marathon

Date: July 4, 2010

The Giants and Rockies played a 15-inning game that took 5 hours and 24 minutes, making it the longest game in Coors Field history. Colorado won 4-3 when Dexter Fowler led off the 15th with a triple, and Johnny Herrera and Carlos Gonzalez were intentionally walked to load the bases. Todd Helton drove in Fowler with the winning run, hitting a sacrifice fly to left.

22. In-game fireworks

Date: July 4, 2008

Colorado trailed 13-4 coming to bat in the fourth inning but beat the Marlins 18-17, scoring two runs in the ninth for the walk-off win. The Rockies hit six home runs, with Ryan Spilborghs and Matt Holliday each clubbing two. Catcher Chris Iannetta hit a weak groundball past third base to score Holliday for the walk-off victory.

21. Nine-run ninth

Date: July 6, 2010

Colorado erased a six-run deficit in the ninth, scored nine times, and stunned St. Louis, 12-9, on sweet-swinging Seth Smith’s two-out, three-run, walk-off homer. At the time, no team in the modern era had ever scored nine runs in the bottom of the ninth to win a game.

20. Helton belts 2,500th

Date: Sept. 1, 2013

Todd Helton drove a 3-2 pitch the opposite way for a double and the 2,500th hit of his career. He became the 96th player in major league history to reach the milestone.

19. Spilly’s walk-off slam

Date: Aug. 24, 2009

Fan favorite Ryan Spilborghs hit a grand slam in the 14th for a come-from-behind, 6-4 victory over the Giants. His walk-off granny was sweet redemption. Spilborghs failed to deliver with men on base in the 10th inning, grounding into a double play with a man on third. In the top of the 14th, he misread the carom off the wall on Edgar Renteria’s triple that started the Giants’ three-run rally.

18. Grand larceny

Date: June 30, 1996

Eric Young tied a big-league record with six stolen bases, Quentin McCracken swiped two, and Ellis Burks and Dante Bichette each stole one as the Rockies notched a wild, 16-15 walk-off win over the Dodgers. Colorado’s 10 stolen bases remains a franchise record.

17. Helton’s grand finale

Date: Sept. 25, 2013

In the 1,148th game of his career at Coors, including seven postseason games, Helton went out with a bang. In his first at-bat, on a 1-1 count, Helton blasted an 87-mph cutter from Boston starter Jake Peavy over the right-field scoreboard for the 369th, and last, home run of his career.

16. Lansing’s four-inning cycle

Date: June 18, 2000

There have been a major league-record 19 cycles hit at Coors Field, but Mike Lansing’s was the fastest. He completed it with a single in the fourth inning after ripping a triple in the first, hitting a two-run homer in the second, and a two-run double in the third. Colorado bludgeoned Arizona 19-2 on Father’s Day.

15. Nomo’s no-no

Date: Sept. 17, 1996

Los Angeles Dodgers legendary broadcaster Vin Scully was on the call on that cold, drizzly night in LoDo: “Hideo Nomo has done what they said could not be done. … Not in the Mile High City. Not at Coors Field in Denver. He has not only shut out the Rockies, Nomo walked four and struck out eight in the Dodgers’ 9-0 victory.

14. K-Free’s near no-no

Date: July 9, 2017

Rookie left-hander Kyle Freeland came two outs away from pitching the Rockies’ first no-hitter at Coors. Chicago White Sox All-Star outfielder Melky Cabrera broke up the no-no with a single to left. After Cabrera’s single, Freeland, who fanned nine, was relieved by Jordan Lyles, who closed out Colorado’s 10-0 victory.

13. Marquez’s near no-no

Date: June 29, 2021

German Marquez pitched eight hitless innings, but the Pirates’ Ka’ai Tom singled to lead off the ninth. Marquez recovered quickly after Tom’s single, inducing a double play followed by a groundout to end his 8-0, complete-game victory. Marquez struck out five, walked just one, and needed 92 pitches.

12. One hell of a Story

Date: Sept. 5, 2018

All-Star shortstop Trevor Story mashed three home runs, including a 487-footer, in Colorado’s 5-3 win over the Giants. Story’s three dingers traveled a combined 1,362 feet. All three of Story’s homers came off San Francisco right-hander Andrew Suarez.

11. Chuck Nasty’s grand opening

Date: April 4, 2014

Charlie Blackmon was on the roster bubble at the end of spring training, but he ignited his All-Star career in Colorado’s 12-2 home-opening win over Arizona. Blackmon went 6 for 6 with a homer and three doubles, becoming the first player since the Pirates’ Dick Groat in his MVP season of 1960 to have three doubles among six hits in a game.

10. Jon Gray’s 16K gem

Date: Sept. 17, 2016

The “Gray Wolf” let loose a howl at the end of Colorado’s 8-0 victory over the Padres. In his complete-game shutout, the right-hander struck out a club-record 16, the most by any single pitcher in Coors Field history. Gray allowed four hits and walked none.

9. Humidor’s debut

Date: March 31, 2002

Coors remains the most hitter-friendly park in the majors, but the installation of a humidor changed things. From 1995 to 2001, Colorado’s average team ERA was 6.14, and the pitching staff gave up an average of 126.7 home runs per season. But in the first 20 years of the humidor (2002-2021), the ERA shrank to 5.06, and home runs dropped to 98.8 per season. Before the humidor, the Rockies’ batting average at Coors was .328, and they averaged 128.3 home runs per season. Post-humidor, the average fell to .295, and home runs tumbled to 103.2.

8. CarGo’s walk-off cycle

Date: July 31, 2010

Carlos Gonzalez hit a leadoff, walk-off, 462-foot homer into the upper deck in right field off Sean Marshall to beat the Cubs, 6-5. CarGo became the first player since Boston’s Dwight Evans in 1984 to hit a walk-off home run to complete the cycle. CarGo singled in the first, tripled in the third, doubled in the fifth and hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh.

7. 1998 All-Star fireworks

Date: July 6-7, 1998

In the highest-scoring All-Star Game to that point, the American League beat the National League 13-8 in a wild affair that included a record-tying 31 hits. The day before, Ken Griffey Jr., who had initially declined to participate, won the Home Run Derby. Griffey hit 19 homers to beat Jim Thome in the finals.

6. Helton’s walk-off ignites Rocktober

Date: Sept. 18. 2007

Todd Helton smashed a two-run, walk-off homer off closer Takashi Saito for a 9-8 victory, capping a doubleheader sweep of the Dodgers and keeping the Rockies’ faint playoff hopes alive. Helton, displaying rare on-field emotion, ran around the bases with his finger signaling No. 1 and then leaped into a mosh pit at home plate.

5. 1995 wild-card clincher

Date: Oct. 1, 1995

The Rockies rallied from a six-run deficit as Larry Walker and Eric Young hit two-run homers to spark a 10-9 victory over the Giants and clinch the wild-card berth. Curtis Leskanic struck out J.R. Phillips and Tom Lampkin before allowing a single to Glenallen Hill. Then Leskanic induced a groundout to clinch the win. No expansion baseball team ever qualified for the playoffs quicker than the Rockies, who did it in their third year of existence.

4. Dante’s walk-off inferno

Date: April 26, 1995

In the first game played at 20th and Blake, Dante Bichette delivered a magical moment. In the 14th inning of a cold and frosty game, with runners at first and second and one out, Bichette hammered a 2-1 pitch off left-hander Mike Remlinger.

“A high drive, way back, and there’s the storybook ending for the Rockies!” ESPN’s Jon Miller shouted as Bichette’s blast landed halfway up the bleachers in left-center for Colorado’s 11-9 victory.

3. Arenado’s Father’s Day cycle

Date: June 18, 2017

Third baseman Nolan Arenado, blood dripping down his face from a cut above his eye, screamed to the heavens after blasting a walk-off, three-run homer off closer Mark Melancon to beat San Francisco 7-5 in front of a delirious sellout Father’s Day crowd of 48,341.  Arenado became the fifth player in big-league history to hit a walk-off homer to finish his cycle. Arenado’s face was cut during the celebration at home plate.

2. Rockies clinch NL pennant

Date: Oct. 15, 2007

Troy Tulowitzki scooped up a grounder hit by Eric Byrnes and rifled a throw to first baseman Todd Helton, who caught the ball and then raised both arms over his head in jubilation. The Rockies were going to the World Series after beating the Diamondbacks, 6-4, to sweep the National League Championship Series. Colorado won 21 of 22 games to reach baseball’s promised land, becoming the first team since the 1935 Chicago Cubs to win 21 of 22 after Sept. 1.

1. Game 163, Holliday crash-lands at home

Date: Oct. 1, 2007

The wild, 9-8, 13-inning wild-card play-in victory in Game 163 over the Padres ranks as one of the greatest games in Colorado sports history. The Rockies squandered leads of 3-0 and 6-5, and their season was on the brink when Scott Hairston hit a two-run homer off Jorge Julio, giving San Diego an 8-6 lead in the 13th.

In the bottom of the inning, Kaz Matsui ignited the rally off super-closer Trevor Hoffman with a double, and Troy Tulowitzki followed with a double of his own, cutting the lead to 8-7. Then Matt Holliday ripped a line-drive triple off the out-of-town scoreboard in right field. With the score tied 8-8, Hoffman intentionally walked Helton to set up the right-on-right matchup with Jamey Carroll.

Carroll hit Hoffman’s first pitch into shallow right, Giles caught it, and Holliday tagged up from third. Holliday charged home, catcher Michael Barrett couldn’t handle Giles’ throw, but Barrett blocked the plate with his left foot, making it unclear whether Holliday touched home with his left hand as he slid headfirst, bloodying his chin. Holliday was called safe, and the Rockies earned the NL wild card, completing a magical run in which they won 14 of 15 regular-season games.

Sosa released a statement Thursday, paving the way for the former National League MVP, who has been estranged from the organization since he left the Cubs after the 2004 season. Sosa had been linked to performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) .

“I understand why some players in my era don’t always get the recognition that our stats deserve,” . “There were times I did whatever I could to recover from injuries in an effort to keep my strength up to perform over 162 games. I never broke any laws, but in hindsight, I made mistakes and I apologize.

“We can’t change the past, but the future is bright. In my heart, I have always been a Cub and I can’t wait to see Cubs fans again.”

Following the apology, Chairman Tom Ricketts announced the team had invited Sosa to next month’s Cubs Convention.

“We appreciate Sammy releasing his statement and for reaching out,” Ricketts said in a statement. “No one played harder or wanted to win more. Nobody’s perfect but we never doubted his passion for the game and the Cubs.

“It is an understatement to say that Sammy is a fan favorite. … We are all ready to move forward together.”

Sosa captured national attention in the as he and the St. Louis Cardinals’ Mark McGwire chased Roger Maris’ single-season home run record. The feat memorably was broken when in St. Louis en route to setting the new mark (70). Sosa went on to slug 66 home runs and earned NL MVP honors, the 10th Cub to win the award at the time.

But for as much as Sosa is remembered for his prodigious power in a Cubs uniform and being part of the memorable 1998 and 2003 teams, his career wasn’t without controversy.

In June 2003, when it cracked during an at-bat. Although he claimed it was a batting-practice bat he accidentally grabbed, he was suspended for seven games. He ended his Cubs career by leaving Wrigley Field during the game on the final day of the 2004 season. at his locker and subsequently smashed by a teammate.

Sosa was among the major-league players and executives who in 2005 as Congress attempted to pressure MLB to toughen its steroid and PED policy. During the testimony, Sosa denied ever taking illegal PEDs.

After Thursday’s statements, all that now remains in the past for the two sides.

“Cubs fans are the best in the world,” Sosa said in Thursday’s statement, “and I hope that fans, the Cubs and I can all come together again and move forward.”