By Tim Dierkes | at
According to Chris Haft of MLB.com, the Giants designated third baseman Jose Castillo for assignment today to make room for rookie Ryan Rohlinger.
Castillo, 27, hit .244/.290/.381 in 394 plate appearances. He earned $650K for his efforts. Castillo can play second base as well, but he hasn’t had a good month this year outside of May. Andrew Baggarly says the Castillo signing helped the Giants save face, but it was time to move on.
By Tim Dierkes | at
Let’s round up some morning links.
By Tim Dierkes | at
According to Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Giants claimed infielder Jose Castillo off waivers and the Marlins didn’t pull him back. I believe the Marlins can now either work out a trade with the Giants or just let them have him and his $650K salary. One of today’s writers, Alejandro, noted that Castillo is already on the Giants’ 40-man roster on MLB.com.
Pure speculation, but this may be a signal that the Giants are done considering trade options such as Wes Helms, Brandon Inge, and Joe Crede. Giving up something decent for Inge or Crede never made sense for this team anyway. Castillo probably won’t do much for the Giants, but at least he doesn’t cost anything.
By Tim Dierkes | at
The Marlins put infielder Jose Castillo on waivers today, though they have the option of pulling him back. It seems like a way to gauge interest. The Marlins may prefer to let Jorge Cantu play third regularly, as he’s had a strong spring and has a decent track record (insert obligatory 117 RBI season mention here). The Marlins also have Dallas McPherson in the mix if he can get healthy.
Castillo could make sense for the Dodgers given his versatility, though he’s never hit much.
By Tim Dierkes | at
The Marlins signed infielder Jose Castillo yesterday. Castillo turns 27 in March. The Fish are slotting him into their third base vacancy, though second base with an accompanying Dan Uggla shift is a possibility.
I took an in-depth look at Castillo here. I believe skipping Triple A threw off his development; a return to that level might be wise. Castillo currently doesn’t have the bat of an average second baseman, so he’s definitely not worthy of the hot corner.
By Tim Dierkes | at
Some random rumorage as the mill slows down a bit…
By Tim Dierkes | at
29 year-old outfielder Xavier Nady .278/.330/.476 as the Pirates’ right fielder, knocking 20 home runs. However, he’s a Scott Boras client and definitely doesn’t fit into the team’s long-term plans. He’s arbitration-eligible, but his salary will still be reasonable after that. If Neal Huntington can’t find a trade partner for Nady, he may even non-tender him.
It probably won’t come to that, as Nady is a solid .800 OPS guy at a reasonable price. There’s bound to be trade interest. Nady can handle first base or the outfield corners. If he was left-handed, he’d be a good target for the Rays.
Kovacevic also notes that Jose Castillo is "a virtual lock to be non-tendered." So add him to the second base market, if you think he’s capable.
By Tim Dierkes | at
Jose Valentin’s fractured tibia on Friday should knock him out about six weeks. Unfortunately for Valentin, this injury and a previous one will stop him from reaching 400 plate appearances this year. That means his $4.3MM option for 2008 will not vest.
The Mets have a number of internal options: Anderson Hernandez, Marlon Anderson, Ruben Gotay, and Damion Easley can all handle second base and offer different skills. Willie Randolph didn’t seem thrilled with the idea of Gotay as the everyday guy, though Omar Minaya expects him to play the most.
Minaya’s not actively looking to trade for a second baseman, but he will listen. Jose de Jesus Ortiz believes Minaya covets Mark Loretta, even speculating on expanded deals involving Chad Qualls or Wandy Rodriguez. I had not previously known that Wandy was on Omar’s radar last winter. Still, it doesn’t make much sense for the Astros to give him up in the midst of a possible breakout season.
Dejan Kovacevic mentions Jose Castillo as another option, though there’s no indication the Mets are after him. Two other options for the Mets are impending free agents Luis Castillo and Tadahito Iguchi. There’s been speculation that the Mets will sign Castillo this winter.
By Tim Dierkes | at
Though he and others have suggested a good fit, today Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes that the Mets are not interested in Pirate utility man Jose Castillo. Castillo recently requested a trade.
When you think about it, why would they be interested? Castillo hasn’t done anything in the Majors outside of May 2006, and he may have a bit of an attitude problem. Damion Easley, on the other hand, has five homers in 56 ABs. True, he won’t slug .571 all year, but he’s every bit as good as Castillo and he’s already on the team. The Mets don’t need a second baseman. They have the best offense in the National League. I’m not sure the Mets need much of anything.
By Tim Dierkes | at
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 26 year-old second baseman Jose Castillo had his agent ask the Pirates for a trade. Devan Kovacevic says Castillo was widely available this winter but generated little interest. He names the Mets as a possible suitor given Jose Valentin’s injury.
As I mentioned in my Castillo Let’s Make A Deal post, outside of a single month (May ’06), Castillo hasn’t really done anything to justify a starting job. He skipped Triple A, and might benefit from playing every day at that level.
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