Castro 'really excited' to join Yankees

When Starlin Castro - the Chicago Cubs' longtime shortstop - was bumped to second base in August, it was, by his own admission, "a little bit weird."

The move to second base preceded a much more substantial change for Castro, who was traded to the New York Yankees earlier this week, but, as it turns out, the three-time All-Star isn't nervous about heading to the Bronx after spending the first six years of his MLB career on the north side of Chicago.

"I feel really excited. I feel really happy," Castro told MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. "I think that's a really good opportunity for me with my new team now. Chicago is the team that I started with, but I feel really happy to be part of the Yankees."

Castro - an All-Star in 2014 - stumbled to a .575 OPS through his first four months of the season and lost his job as the club's starting shortstop Aug. 7, when Joe Maddon told reporters that his spot in the lineup is "something that's going to be considered daily."

Castro played sparingly over the next week, receiving only three pinch-hit plate appearances over that span, but returned to the starting lineup Aug. 14, albeit in a different position. Maddon had pencilled him in at second base, in lieu of Chris Coghlan, and the decision paid off handsomely: Over the final seven weeks of the regular season, Castro hit .353/.373/.588 as Chicago's primary second baseman.

"Every player has a struggling moment, and that happened to me," Castro said. "I never stayed down, I just continued working hard and using the talent that I've got. I just play hard every day, and you see the difference the last two months."

Castro, who "looked like a different player" after the position change, according to Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, will serve as New York's everyday second baseman in 2016, with Didi Gregorius set to reprise his shortstop role.