Mets Shopping For A Second Baseman?

Jorge Cantu anyone?

As a Mets fan, this talk does not make me happy. First of all, Luis Castillo and his no-slugging bat and poor stolen base percentage legs and empty batting average are not worth giving up a prospect for.

Second, Jose Castillo? Please tell me it isn't so. He of the consistenly sub-.300 OBP and a glove not suited for second base? No, no, no, no. J. Castillo is a replacement-level player at best, and the Mets have two of those on the roster in Damion Easley and Ruben Gotay, who are quite satisfactory.

Third, Mark G. He is better than Damion Easley how?

Fourth, Tadahito Iguchi. A fine offensive player, indeed, but somehow I think the Mets have had their fill of Japanese second basemen for now. His defense is quite lacking, and not at all suited the Mets' pitching staff, which relies heavily on its infield defense, particularly in the capacity of turning double plays, a department in which Iguchi has been severely lacking.

So, no Castillos or Castillas. I still don't understand why Perrotto would think the Mets- or anyone else- would want Jose Castillo's overly-aggressive, under-producing bat and extremely mediocre glove.

Of all these players, the most likely for the Mets to acquire is Luis Castillo. While I like his patient bat, I think at 31 his skills are already well on the decline, especially defensively, which is what the Mets should be looking for in any second baseman, since their offense is already solid. Castillo would probably cost the Mets far too much, giving them not a lot over and above their replacement players in return.

I was surpised to read that Tad Iguchi was a poor fielder. When I have watched him play, he seems like a sure handed web gem machine. Yes, baseball tonight can be harm your intelligence. Now seeing that I do not have this years baseball prospectus I had to make due with the avarage run of the mill fielding stats. Here is how the second baseman mentioned compare:

Player gms PO A DP E
B.Roberts 29 52 85 22 1
M.Giles 28 56 89 20 3
T.Iguchi 24 46 62 16 0
L.Cast. 20 41 59 13 0
Valentin 20 59 62 19 1

Iguchi does not look that bad. He ranks 19th in the majors for douple plays, and and 8th in the American League.

Castillo is a step behind Iguchi, but he hasn't made an error yet. I really do not have the time to check last years numbers. I am not sure the Mets should trade valuable prospects for players that will be free agents next year.