Feb. 20--MESA, Ariz. -- Despite the acquisitions of Miguel Montero and David Ross, veteran catcher Welington Castillo wants to remain with the Chicago Cubs.
"I want to be part of this," Castillo said Friday before the first workout for pitchers and catchers. "I want to be part of this team. This is a team that signed me when I was 17 years old. I want to win here. Whatever happens, happens. I just let them do their thing. All I can do go out and have fun and play hard and get better.
"I'm part of the Cubs, I'm here and going to work hard and get better.''
The likelihood of Castillo, 27, staying with the Cubs remains very slim because of the arrivals of Montero and Ross and that Castillo batted only .237 last year.
In an effort to improve his value, Castillo said he went to Tampa on Jan. 5 to meet his long-time trainer in preparation for the season. Castillo said he wasn't surprised by the acquisition of Montero, who will earn $40 million over the next three seasons, nor was he surprised that he hasn't been traded.
"I'm not a guy who likes to read papers, so I just focus on the off-season and work on my body to get as strong as I can," Castillo said. "I'm not surprised. I'm still a Cub. I'm here to work hard and help the team win."
