Minneapolis – The Minnesota Twins traded Willi Castro and Edouard Julien to different teams at different times.
For Castro, it came nearly a year ago, during Minnesota’s fire sale at the 2025 MLB Trade Deadline, to the Chicago Cubs for prospects Ryan Gallagher and Sam Armstrong. Meanwhile, the Twins traded Julien a couple of days before Twins Fest in January, along with RHP Pierson Ohl, to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for pitching prospect Jace Kaminska.
While they’ve taken different roles, both returned to Target Field for the first time in the Rockies’ black and purple. Their former teammates and the organization met them with a warm reception.
“It’s a little weird to come into the stadium and be on the visiting side and play against these guys who you came up with,” Julien said. “And also to be here with a good crowd, too. I wasn’t expecting anything, especially with the show after. I think it was a perfect night, right?”
“I mean, it felt great,” said Castro. “When I was here with Minnesota, for sure, it made me the player that I am today. Getting to know all those guys on the other side, it’s really good to be back. I for sure had a lot of fun here.”
Castro and Julien became fan favorites in 2023. Castro was the versatile super utility man who played almost every position on the field, stole 30-plus bases, and earned an All-Star nod in 2024. Julien, Minnesota’s 19th-round pick in the 2019 Draft, came up as a hot-hitting rookie, crushing 16 home runs, 37 RBI, and a .839 OPS.
Castro was one of the Twins players who held back in Minneapolis last year instead of going with the team to Cleveland on the day of the trade deadline. Since there was more demand for him than some of his other former teammates whom Minnesota dealt that day, he knew remaining behind would make his transition over to a new club easier than doubling back from Cleveland.
“It was crazy,” said Castro. “I knew I was going to get traded for sure, but I never thought it was going to be to the Cubs. There were some other teams that were more aggressive. I got traded to the Cubs, and I had a really good time over there with some of the guys. Obviously, being in the playoffs was awesome. It was really good.”
Julien didn’t put too much thought into where he’d end up this off-season. Still, he was aware he could end up on the short end of the roster crunch with Luke Keaschall earning the everyday second base role at the end of 2025. While it was tough to move on from the only organization he’s known, Colorado has ended up as a good new home for him.
“[The Twins] were going in a different direction, and I’m happy they traded me here,” said Julien. “I’ve been loving it so far here. But yeah, I wasn’t expecting it.”
Arriving back at Target Field on Friday night, Julien and Castro received warm receptions from former teammates, including Austin Martin, Brooks Lee, and many others. Both had plenty of time to catch up with Royce Lewis at first base. Julien and Castro reached base a combined three times and got exactly the reception they expected from Lewis.
“I mean, it was good to see all these guys again, right?” said Julien. “Royce is a good guy. He’s been going through it a bit this year, and he keeps the same attitude he’s always had. And I’m happy to see him doing better, too.”
“Yeah, it was great,” Lewis said. “I got to see them a lot. They were hitting at the end there. They got on base, and we talked a good amount. But they’re doing good. I’m happy I got to see them have success.”
They were also treated to their own tribute videos by the team, which caught both a little off guard before Friday night’s first pitch but turned into a most welcome surprise.
Ed. note: Show video of this if you can find it.
“Yeah, that was cool. I thought they did a good job, and I wasn’t expecting it,” said Julien. “I wasn’t asking for anything, either. It was sad for sure to see all these memories, but it was cool. I’m very proud and happy they did it for me. It’s a kind gesture for sure.”
“It was great. All the memories I have from here,” said Castro. “That’s when I became a better player, obviously, here, the three years that I came. I made the All-Star team. It made a big impact to come here, and I really enjoyed it. I wish I would’ve stayed here. I think here is what made my name even higher when I played here.”
Even if their Twins tenure didn’t end as they hoped, Castro and Julien will always be appreciative of the organization and the opportunities it brought. The Twins turned Castro, a washed-out minor league free agent signing, into one of the game’s best super utility men. Meanwhile, Julien went from a long-shot draft pick into a major league role player.
They’ve fit into their roles nicely with the Rockies and have remained the same players they were with the Twins. Being back at Target Field reminded them of how far they’ve come in their baseball journeys from where it started three years ago.
