It’s no secret the Cubs are rebuilding, with Theo Epstein at the helm, and it’s become evident that they view Starlin Castro as a piece they can build their future around. Reports surfaced this week the Cubs are Castro are negotiating a long term deal that is expected to be completed by the end of the 2012 season. This comes as a surprise since he’s been under scrutiny this year for a few episodes of lackluster, unfocused play in the field. However, his skill-set and star pedigree is undeniable. Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer must believe those episodes are not due to any underlying issues that can’t be resolved by first year skipper Dale Sveum.

Castro is in the midst of a down year this season, after bursting onto the scene in 2010 and continuing his success in 2011. He hit .300 and .307 respectively in those two seasons and is hitting a paltry .278 this year through play last night. His power numbers have continued to improve over the past 3 seasons, but his plate discipline and on-base percentage have gone the other direction. In the field he hasn’t shown much improvement either, although his fielding percentage has risen slightly his error totals are still astronomical compared to other shortstops in the league. That being said, the kid has represented the Cubs in the last 2 all-star games and he has the natural ability to be a star in this league.

At 22 years old, Starlin is under team control through the 2016 season. The thought behind the contract extension is that the Cubs would buy out his arbitration years, plus at least 2 years of his free agency, while giving Castro the security he covets. Therefore, the contract will be for at least 6 years. Starlin and his agent, Paul Kinzer, have expressed the desire to keep Castro in Chicago, so there shouldn’t be any problems working out the details. Justin Upton and Andrew McCutchen both got 6 years – 50M+, so expect the deal to be somewhere in that range. Upton and McCutchen are both bigger stars than Castro, at this point, but position scarcity will still garner a reasonably significant payday.

This has certainly been a miserable season for the both the Cubs and their fans, but the future is still bright in Chicago. Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer are proven winners and will continue to do what they feel is best for the long-term success of the franchise. The road won’t be easy, but Starlin Castro, Anthony Rizzo, Josh Vitters, Brett Jackson, Darwin Barney, Wellington Castillo and Jeff Samardzija should have Cubs fans feeling optimistic that the rebuilding project won’t last forever.

Update: The Cubs and Starlin Castro agreed on a 7 year, 60M contract on Saturday. It will buy out 3 years of his free agency and keep him in a Cubs uniform until he’s 29.

*Photo by MRHSfan on Flickr*