Poll: Luis Castillo’s Next Team
The Mets finally went ahead and did what seemed inevitable yesterday, cutting ties with Luis Castillo. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports said late last night that he expects Castillo to sign with a new team shortly after clearing waivers on Sunday, when it would only require the league minimum to bring him aboard. Let’s look at some potential suitors, then vote on his next destination…
- Phillies: Chase Utley is out indefinitely with knee problems, and Castillo’s low cost would surely be attractive to a team pushing the limits on payroll.
- Marlins: They’re currently scheduled to begin the season with Omar Infante at second and top prospect Matt Dominguez at third. Castillo, who originally broke in with Florida, would allow them to slide Infante to third and take it slow with Dominguez, who has yet to play above Double-A.
- Dodgers: It’s possible that Casey Blake will miss the start of the regular season with back trouble, and Castillo could step in at second with Juan Uribe sliding over to third.
- Rockies: They’ve been connected to Michael Young basically all offseason, but Castillo would be a much more affordable second base option as well as less risky since there’s no long-term commitment. Rosenthal mentioned that Colorado was not in the mix, however.
- Orioles: Brian Roberts is dealing with back issues, and although he’s getting closer to game action, Castillo would provide insurance at second and in the leadoff spot.
- Cubs: The second base job is still up for grabs on Chicago’s north side according to Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago, so Castillo could push Blake DeWitt, Jeff Baker, Darwin Barney, and Augie Ojeda.
- Cardinals: Nick Punto is recovering from a hernia, leaving a little bit of an opening on the roster.
Castillo has never played a position other than second base in his Major League career (not even DH), so his ability to serve as a utility infielder is far from a given.
Which team will sign Luis Castillo?
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Phillies 37% (2,698)
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No one will sign him 15% (1,075)
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Cubs 14% (1,059)
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Marlins 12% (913)
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Cardinals 6% (445)
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Another team not listed 5% (379)
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Dodgers 5% (345)
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Orioles 4% (257)
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Rockies 2% (139)
Total votes: 7,310
Handshake Agreement May Have Impacted Cabral
Left-hander Cesar Cabral was involved in a pair of transactions last week, first getting claimed off waivers by the Blue Jays from the Rays before Tampa re-claimed him two days later. As Richard Griffin of The Toronto Star explains, a handshake agreement between Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos and Red Sox GM Theo Epstein may have impacted the moves.
When the Jays hired former Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell to be their new manager this offseason, the deal apparently came with a "non-compete" handshake agreement between the two clubs, preventing Toronto from selecting Boston players in the Rule 5 Draft. Cabral was selected by the Rays from the Sox in the Rule 5 Draft, but the Jays insist they were "playing by the rules" when they claimed him last week because at that time he was property of Tampa, not Boston.
A source tells Griffin that the original waiver claim (Jays taking Cabral from the Rays) may have been rescinded because of the handshake agreement, explaining why he ended up back with Tampa before Toronto could ever see him pitch in their uniform. It's unclear who exactly would have rescinded the claim if true; did the Jays back off or did MLB intervene?
Cabral, a 22-year-old lefty reliever, must stay on the Rays' 25-man roster all season or be placed on waivers. If he goes unclaimed, the Red Sox can take him back for half of the original $50K Rule 5 Draft fee.
Jason Davis Ends Comeback Attempt
It's been eight years since Jason Davis was the Indians' number two starter behind CC Sabathia, but his comeback attempt with those same Indians came to an end yesterday. Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain-Dealer reports (on Twitter) that Davis, who was in camp on a minor league deal, ended his comeback attempt after just a week.
Davis, now 30, didn't pitch at all in 2010, taking what was termed a "mental break." He last appeared in the big leagues in 2008 with the Pirates, and has battled control problems in recent years. In his last 96 1/3 innings (that includes his time in Pittsburgh plus a Triple-A stint in 2009), he walked 53 batters and struck out only 38. Davis finishes his career with a 4.82 ERA in 461 innings, having played for the Tribe, Mariners, and Bucs.
Luis Castillo Rumors: Friday
The Mets released Luis Castillo this morning, which means they're responsible for $6MM less the MLB minimum if he signs with another team. That's exactly what the second baseman intends to do, so we're going to keep track of which teams have potential interest right here:
- The Cubs are interested in Castillo, a source told Enrique Rojas of ESPNdeportes.com.
- The Orioles have "zero" interest in Castillo at this point, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
- The Marlins have spoken internally about re-acquiring Castillo, according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. Castillo would be a candidate to play second base in case Matt Dominguez doesn't make the team and Omar Infante shifts to third base.
- The Dodgers have no interest in Castillo, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (on Twitter).
- Asked about potential interest, Phillies assistant GM Scott Proefrock said "that remains to be seen," according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki (on Twitter).
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs argues that Castillo could hold down Philadelphia's second base job while Chase Utley recovers. Castillo isn't a long-term answer, but he could do enough to help the Phillies.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports expects that Castillo will sign shortly after clearning waivers on Sunday, and he confirmed that the Phillies, Marlins and Cubs are thought to be in on the veteran second baseman. Rosenthal added that the O's could be interested, depending on how Brian Roberts progresses with his back injury, and he tweeted that the Rockies are not in the mix.
Mets Notes: Castillo, Buyers, Lawsuit
Here are a few items of note coming out of Mets camp on Friday night …
- GM Sandy Alderson and manager Terry Collins admitted that Mets fans' disdain for Luis Castillo factored into the team's decision to release the embattled second baseman earlier today, writes Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. Collins implied that even if Castillo had played well, fans would have been hard on him at his first sign of struggles. Here are the early reports on where Castillo might and might not land.
- There is "decent interest" in buying a minority stake in the Mets, tweets Jon Heyman of SI.com, but the potential partners are apparently insisting on including a clause that would make the team theirs should the Wilpons not be able to afford running the team anymore. This would seem to indicate that the cash from a minority partner might not necessarily solve all the Wilpons' financial troubles.
- The trustee trying to recover funds from Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme in a lawsuit against Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz is now seeking a total of more than $1 billion, writes Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. The previous amount sought by the trustee wasn't far short of $1 billion, so, either way, it's a lot of money. If the Mets' owners lose and have to pay, it could be crippling to their chances of retaining the team, depending on how much they are forced to pay, of course.
Doug Davis To Audition For Teams Next Week
Free-agent left-hander Doug Davis will work out for teams in Tempe, Arizona, on Thursday, tweets Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com.
Davis, 35, appeared in just eight games with the Brewers in 2010, suffering from a virus in the lining of his heart and then undergoing surgery to repair a "small tear in his flexor tendon," according to Crasnick (via Twitter). Milwaukee declined to pick up its end of the lefty's $6.5MM option for 2011, granting Davis a $1MM buyout and free agency.
Between his age and recent trouble staying healthy, Davis' prospects of latching on with another team did not look especially great, depending on the terms of a contract he might have been seeking, of course.
However, his agent, Steve Canter, said that Davis has been throwing for two-plus months and that Davis "feels great," tweets Crasnick. And with a few pitchers having already gone down to injury this spring, Davis could seize an opportunity at the right price.
That being said, it's unclear whether Davis would be seeking a Major League or minor league deal. We've already seen the durable Kevin Millwood, who is reportedly seeking one year and $4MM, encounter trouble in securing a big league deal.
In 12 big league seasons, Davis has a 4.38 ERA with 6.7 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9.
Piecoro’s Latest On Paniagua
It seemed like a simple enough story when the Yankees agreed to terms on a $1.1MM deal with Dominican right-hander Juan Paniagua, who had served a one-year suspension for identity fraud, on March 10 (as first reported by Ben Badler of Baseball America). Earlier this week, though, Badler wrote about the unintended consequences of a since-changed rule, as well as the Diamondbacks' reaction to losing out on the now highly touted prospect.
Today, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic has more on Paniagua's original, voided deal, and the righty's future prospects.
Ultimately, it was the Diamondbacks' decision to void Paniagua's $17K deal, because neither they nor Major League Baseball could verify the player's identity. This after Paniagua — then going by the name Juan Collado — had played for Arizona's Dominican Summer League team in parts of two seasons under an old rule. It allowed international free agents to play for their would-be teams while their contracts awaited approval from the commissioner's office.
Now, Paniagua's new deal with the Yankees is still awaiting approval, and under the new rules, he may not play for the Yankees organization until a decision is rendered. It bears watching whether the new deal will be approved, because, according to Piecoro, that is not a given:
There still is a lot of skepticism about whether he’ll actually get off the island and into the U.S. The fact that he changed his name, but not his birthday, is a red flag.
We’ll see if he actually gets to the states to play in the minors and if he actually gets the $1.1 million.
Paniagua has apparently maintained all along that his birthday is April 4, 1990, even when he was going by the Collado surname.
Nevertheless, Piecoro writes that a situation like Paniagua's — in which the player benefits financially — is extremely rare; the great majority of international free agents whose contracts are voided for fraud end up losing money in the long run. So, although Arizona lost out on what looks like a promising player, this doesn't seem to be a very common happening.
Quick Hits: Shields, Cardinals, Lawrie, Montero
Links for Friday, as Ichiro donates over $1.2MM to victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan…
- Scot Shields, who announced his retirement today, said on a conference call that he drew interest this offseason before calling it a career. "There were some teams interested, but nothing seemed like the right fit," Shields said.
- A longtime GM tells ESPN.com's Buster Olney that he has heard "less trade talk this spring than in any other year [he has] been on the job" (Twitter link).
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports that the Cardinals are excited about their rotation despite Adam Wainwright's elbow injury. The Cards will go with Chris Carpenter Jaime Garcia, Jake Westbrook, Kyle Lohse and Kyle McClellan.
- Blue Jays prospect Brett Lawrie joined CAA, according to the agency (on Twitter). As MLBTR's newly launched Agency Database shows, CAA also represents Blue Jays J.P. Arencibia and Travis Snider.
- Scouts tell Joel Sherman of the New York Post that they aren't enthusiastic about Jesus Montero's ability to catch in the major leagues.
Giants Notes: Mejia, Belt, Sabean
The latest on the Giants as they take on the rival Dodgers for the last time this spring…
- The Giants agreed to sign Dominican left-hander Adalberto Mejia for $350K, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America. The 6'3" pitcher has a loose arm and can reach 92 with his fastball.
- As Badler points out, the Giants are spending more aggressively on the international market than they did in 2010; they signed Dominican right-hander Simon Mercedes earlier this month.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports suggests that Giants prospect Brandon Belt is too good to be denied a major league job.
- Giants GM Brian Sabean told Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle that he is prepared to open the season with Belt on the roster if he believes that will make the team better. "I think we're all more open-minded now because he's played a lot, and because of that, has faced front-line pitching," Sabean said.
Heyman On Phillies, Tigers, Manny, Rays
The Phillies have “tapped out” their payroll and have “nothing brewing” on the Michael Young front, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Here’s the latest from Heyman as the Phils contemplate whether or not to pursue new free agent Luis Castillo…
- The expectation is that Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski, whose contract expires after the season, will be back. Dombrowski declined to comment on the matter.
- Manny Ramirez wanted to play for the Rays or the Blue Jays this year, according to Heyman. Rumors linked Ramirez to Toronto early in the offseason, partly because of the slugger’s affinity for incoming manager John Farrell and partly because he rooted for the great Dominican Blue Jays of the 1980s.
- Team officials say Rays infielder Elliot Johnson has been very impressive this spring.