Unable to delay the inevitable any longer, the Mets have released Luis Castillo. The team has confirmed the move via press release.
“This was [a] baseball decision,” GM Sandy Alderson said. “I met with Terry [Collins] and made a recommendation to Jeff [Wilpon] and Jeff approved on behalf of ownership.”
Luis Hernandez, Daniel Murphy and Brad Emaus remain in competition for the Mets' second base job. Earlier in the week it appeared that manager Terry Collins preferred Hernandez, but there's no clear-cut favorite.
Castillo hit .235/.337/.267 in 299 plate appearances last year and spent 47 days on the DL recovering from a left foot injury. The 35-year-old is entering the final season of the four-year, $25MM deal he signed after the 2007 season. Castillo impressed after the Mets acquired him in a mid-2007 trade with the Twins, hitting .296 and stealing 10 bases in a third of a season. That strong finish led to a $25MM guarantee from then-GM Omar Minaya.
Now a free agent, Castillo is available for the league minimum. The Mets will be responsible for his entire $6MM salary if he remains a free agent and they'll save just over $400K if he signs elsewhere.
Guess he’s not the frontrunner for the starting job anymore
finally :)
If they can release Castillo they can damn sure release Pérez…and yet there he is in the bullpen…
If anybody’s looking for me I’ll be buying up the entire Rolaids section at my local pharmacy.
i’m not defending luis castillo but why now? he’s having a decent spring. if anything i would say this is the pinacle of hope for luis castillo if there is one. it just seems like there was never a plan to keep him and it dragged on too long. if they were gonna keep him this long into spring they should at least give the guy a shot cause hes not doing half bad this spring
Now watch him sign in Philly and rejuvenate his career.
Nope. They are going with Martinez or Barfield to take Utley’s spot to start the season.
And Valdez.
Valdez will start at 2B. The issue who grabs the last roster spot between Barfield and Martinez. Martinez is starting today at 2B and Barfield is tomorrow.
Since all 2B candidates are available for the MLB minimum, why would the Phillies not make a run at Castillo? He could instantly become the leadoff hitter, which would allow them to move Rollins down in the order which may be better off given his free swinging style.
All else being equal on the money front, out of Valdez, Barfield, Martinez, and Castillo, I think Luis is clearly the closest to a “sure thing”, IF he’s healthy.
No thanks. We’ll take our chances with non-cancers who are actually trying to give an effort.
Dude had a .600 OPS last year. If you can’t find better, you are doing something wrong.
So wait, He’s not good enough to make the Mess but the Phillies should jump all over him? Huh? After watching him drop that pop up against the Yankees he should’ve been out of baseball that night.
Right. Valdez was gonna be on the team regardless of Utley’s injury. But it seemed like you were saying the Phils were gonna trot out a tandem of Martinez and Barfield to start at second.
Though Valdez might be needed at 3rd and SS at points during the year.
Well.. Philly don’t wanna pay anyone to play 2b… here is someone they won’t have to pay and he ain’t much of a 2b anymore either…
He will be a Philadelphia Phillie by next Friday.
Why? He’s is supposedly a lousy clubhouse guy and nobody in the Phils’ FO (Looper, LaMar) has a real strong tie to him. Is Castillo better than a Martinez or Barfield? Probably but the difference is marginal at best.
Doesn’t hurt to have depth and a gold glove 2nd baseman.
Its not 2002 anymore. And there is enough replacement depth already between Valdez, Barfield and Martinez, all 3 of whom are having excellent springs
Is this a serious statement?
incorrect.
Nope, looks like I was correct.
the end of days for LOS METS!!
Double negative?
AMEN!
goodbye and good riddance. Ive never seen a more miserable looking player in all my years following sports…
What took so long? I guess Ollie is next.
He should have been first!
Might be the high point for Mets’ fans this season in what is going to be a pretty boring and mediocre year although I am sure the ongoing saga will Beltran’s knees and Bay’s struggles will give the NY media something to write about.
What are the odds he is a Cub? I know Hendry has said the Cubs are confident in the second base personnel, but I’m not convinced. I see a lot of negativity about him, and as a Cubs’ fan I don’t necessarily want him, I’m just curious in other MLBTR readers opinions.
Both Blake Dewitt and Jeff Baker will give you more production than Castillo, in my opinion. Not that I’m convinced in those guys either, but they present a stronger case than Castillo. His time is done – he has not aged well at all and injuries have taken their toll.
Damn it!! I had a $100 bet going with a friend that Ollie would be released before Castillo.
Whew! Now all of the Mets problems are solved!
Why wouldn’t the Phillies use Young, Barfield, or Orr at 2b? I think the Mets should have shaken him up and tried him out at SS, 3B and the OF to generate trade interest. The Marlins could use him and move Infante to 3B. His best bet is with the O’s with Roberts perpetually hurt.
Hell, the Mariners should take a look at Castillo. It’s not like anyone would notice his performance.
Looks like Castillo is a delusional and bitter man
From Jim Baumbach’s Twitter:
Luis Castillo to Newsday on what he said in meeting: “I said I came here to play and you didn’t give me the chance. You didn’t use me.”
I don’t understand why Chin-Lung Hu was never in the competition for starting 2B. He has more offensive upside than Luis Hernandez and would be an elite defender. Seems like a better option than Hernandez at least if the Mets wanted to go with the strong defender over offensive production.
I agree! I don’t get it.
he has his chance… & he dropped it. LOL
“Here comes Teixeiraaa!!!!”
BYE BYE
“I met with Terry” Interpretted to “I informed Terry”. No surprise that Sandy made this decision. Mets Fans: Be prepared for more of your GM making playing time and roster decisions while his manager is treated as a mere puppet.
Meanwhile the manager he let walk out of his former organization, Bruce Bochy, is coming off a championship season
Uh….the GMs job IS to make roster decisions….
he signs with ….
Too bad A-Rod will actually have to get a hit this time.
I was at that game!
“Here comes Teixeiraaa!”
OH MY GOD
milton bradley + jeff francoeur + luis castillo
trouble makers is a bad word lowsy teamateare the words i was searching for
The words you were searching for don’t even exist. Oh, and Francoeur was always hailed as a great clubhouse guy, one of the few things he was consistent at.
maybe the orioles could pick him up. with roberts and his injured back this would make sense to have some depth in the infield
im a little confused how this move was made before ollie.. but then again, the mets like to screw with me.
Ollie’s making twice as much. Other than that, there’s no valid reason.
Wait a minute: guys still play major league baseball at 35?
Who knew?
Great news! Now I can get a Castillo jersey on clearance.
Why would you want one?
Maybe icedrake is a Yankees fan.
To go with my Trachsel, Heilman, Schoeneweis, Redding and Matsui jerseys.
Don’t forget to dry clean Mo Vaughn jersey!
The only thing that would make this more rich is if the Phillies claimed him. How I would love to see Slapstillo in Philly red.
Hey Castillo…….don’t let the door hit you in the a@@ on the way out!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA
OMG THAT IS SO FUNNY!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
OH BIGMEL YOU ARE JUST TOO MUCH!!!
All I can say is that I like the Mets’ style. I wish more teams would demonstrate the courage to cut off their dead wood in sudden and painful fashion. Yeah, the Mets certainly have others as deserving or more deserving. But so do lots of teams. The cleansing thing about outright releases is that you admit your mistake, agree to pay for it and move on immediately. There’s less agony that way.
that brings the tally to:
people who like the Mets’ style = 1
people who don’t like the Mets’ style = population of the Milky Way Galaxy
this was more of a PR move than a baseball move…
the fact that TC and Sandy are even admitting that public opinion played a big factor says that even they were not really on board with this
Wish the Giants would swallow their pride and do the same with Rowand.
BradPenny “Luis Castillo is a good player. I think the mets made a bad move.”
link to twitter.com
Somebody needs to tell Brad that this isn’t 2003 anymore….or that it’s not April Fool’s Day yet.
I hope the Mets put Murphy at second base…Sure, he might have some defensive growing pains at the position but at this point he is far and away the best offensive option the Mets will have at second base and the Mets should build on that. If the Mets offense can stay healthy this year I would expect them to put up some impressive numbers. The mets pitching is suspect as well as their bullpen, might as well stick with what you’re good at and it looks like for this team it will be on the offensive end.
he was the best mets second baseman since Anderson Hernandez… what a shame.