According to the New York Time’s Jack Curry via his Twitter,
The Mets hope the first thing they accomplish in Indy is unloading Luis Castillo so they can sign Orlando Hudson to play 2B.
Castillo, who just came off a solid season in which he batted .302 and posted a solid .387 OBP is officially on the outs. By this time next week he’ll be just a distant memory.
After all the hoopla regarding the Polanco deal, let’s see how Omar handles the Orlando Hudson situation.
There are already two other teams interested in Orlando Hudson, so it’s going be fun seeing how this develops.
The other thing to note is that if the Mets have to eat some salary to move Castillo, lets say $6 million dollars, remember to add that cost to whatever it takes to sign his replacement.
Then you can compare it to what the Phillies paid Placido Polanco.. After all, what’s fair is fair.
I’m thinking that this is just a prelude to another Mets debacle.
*Mets Merized Online Needs Your Help*
I think we should just lump everything under the category of “mets’ ongoing debacle.” It really is all just one nightmare, and the nightmare is named wilpon. I’ll bet you thought I was going to say “Omar”. But they are totally responsible for him and everything else.
J, MARTINEZ.
BELTRAN,
WAGNER,
RODRIGUEZ
WITH NIGHTMARES LIKE THAT I HOPE NOT TO WAKE UP BEWFORE 12/11.
IN MY OPINION, THE ABSOLUTE WORST WINTER MEETINGS FOR NYM WAS AFTER THE ‘00 SEASON WHEN PHILLIIPS CHOSE TO STAND PAT WITH HIS ‘LUCKY’ WS ATTAINMENT ROSTER.
i totally agree THAT has proved to be a fiasco that has haunted me ever since. The other travesty was Duquette’s violation of the ‘Thou Shall Not Trade A 20-Yr Old Lefty’ commandment. That’s haunted me since as well.
i disagree. Any write-off of Castillo’s contract is simply a bad investment. Better to compare any deal for Hudson (or my hope, Figgins) with what their ‘cost’ and stats are at end of year.
Trading Castillo is dumb. It’s a no-win situation: if they trade him, then they will have to either overpay Hudson or face next year with a glaring hole at second. If they sign Hudson first, the will find it hard to get any value for Castillo. The team has more serious problems than to make a deal that they’re bound to end up losing.
Omar should state “Castillo is my second baseman.” If others come to him, great (and he should ask for a competent 2B in return), if not, I could live with another couple of years with Castillo.
I can’t stomach seeing Castillo on the team. I will never, EVER forgive Castillo for dropping that ball. The play was something that only a certain kind of player would allow to happen.
What kind of player?
Well, Castillo is not a poor fielder; not even an average fielder. He’s a terrific fielder, which means the pressure of the moment got to him–preventing him from making a routine catch. It was a must-have game, and he shrunk from the pressure. In my mind that makes him a loser–in other words someone who is mentally weak–and I wanted him traded the very next day. This feeling has not diminished one iota since then.
I sincerely believe the play changed the fortunes of both the Mets AND the Yankees that day. Especially the Yankees. Laugh if you must, but it started them on their upswing.
I want him gone at all costs, the team has enough players that seem to be deer in the headlights; we don’t need a player who’s PROVEN he can’t handle pressure.
Barry – I am not a Luis Castillo supporter. Agreed that Castillo’s miscue was worst ever in a Met regular season game. It was on my birthday, no less…
Luis Castillo manned-up to his mistake, faced the media and went back to work. He fully redeemed himself in my eyes by remaining competitive all season long. He truly was one of the few ballplayers that cared what happened on the field. As for character, he gets an A+.
Notwithstanding, Luis Castillo must be traded. As currently constituted, our ballclub cannot support his punch-and-judy game, which diminishes in effect with every season. You don’t need to villify the guy to arrive at that conclusion.
Luis Castillo is the least of the Mets problems. How much more than .302 avg. .387 obp. .733 ops are they expecting out of Hudson? And for what additional cost? Plus, they’ll have to take another bad contract to get it done. Someone please explain why this is a priority!
I think we have an advantage though….Orlando Hudson wants to play for the Mets…It was a dream of his!
I think the thing with Castillo also is they are looking to add guys who will bring team chemistry and some pump to the Mets and I think Orlando Hudson will be that…maybe not to a big degree but more then Luis Castillo has been.
I have no problem with trading Castillo if we can get phillips or sign figgins. Is Hudson really going to make the mets that much better?
i agree with Chicho. Hudson’s a good team guy but he’s not a major + to the lineup, while either Figgins or Phillips would be.
Let me start with the fact that I am not a castillo hater. And it’s very true that Hudson may not bring more to the table in the terms of OBP and BA. HOWEVER, it’s what buils up to that average. With Jose on first i would much rather have hudsons capability to hit a line drive to right center and get Jose to 3rd over castillo getting a 45 foot basehit down the line. How many of his hits that led to that average barely left the infield? He’s not as fast as he was when with the Marlins and that makes his hitting ability even more questionable.
Plus, i have long been of the thought that this team needs to change as many faces as possible over the last few years. Even if it means not getting the same results from the new player (we may not get a 1b to hit 30+ HR, but it is time to move on from delgado). we aren’t getting rid of Jose, david, or Beltran….so that leaves 5 other poistions that need a makeover even if for no other reason then to change the look of the team
At this point I just would just like to see the Mets sign a player with a pulse. Something we haven’t seen since 2006. If O-Dog is that guy so be it.
Also we did have a guy who actually cared who Atlanta just gave 7 million to. For all you fantasy baseball players out there, Wagner = 40+ saves next year. Its a lock.
Figgins is going to seattle and mets have no interest Phillips, Hudson is the guy they want. My question is, does Castillo go to Chicago in a 3 way deal where we get Burrell back? Does he go to Chicago and we take Bradley? Or does he go to the Dodgers for say Juan Pierre?
It is not worth it for the Mets to take Burrell back for Castillo unless we get a ML ready OF back in the deal – something that Burrell is not. In the NL, at best he’s a pinch hitter. It sounds like the Mets are being run by Tim Taylor…all I hear is “More power, more power”!!! Power won’t do us any good if every time our opponents hit a ball to LF it bounces instead of hitting leather. Every time we save a run with good defense, it’s the same as if we hit a solo HR. No one acts like they realize that.
Castillo’s defense iis bad. His range is poor and often he does not charge slowly hit balls and loses outs. The only thing he does well is turn the DP. His OBP was good but he is wasted by always bunting even in the first inning. The chances of him breaking down are great. He will only be traded for a worse contract. To replace him with Hudson sounds very similar to the Castillo signing of 2 years ago,a huge mistake. Go with a young cheap guy who can field the position. There have to some young 2Bs out there trapped in triple A.
MetsBlog said today that Reese Havens is the next Jeff Kent. Why sign a new 2B to another 4 year deal? If this guy Havens is that good, why not give him a shot next season and let Castillo play for us another year?
Reese Havens is a great prospect for the Mets in future years, not next year. He is at least 2 to 3 years away from the Bigs. He does not enter into the Castillo issue at all. I love Havens’ future prospects but don’t think of him as an option for 2010.
MASK, I BELIEVE YOU’VE JUST WRITTEN A SUPERLATIVE DEFINITION OF A TRADE CHIP.
Havens is new to second base. Brand new. No way he’s ready for the big leagues. Hudson for two years is fine. He provides some pop that Castillo doesn’t, and more range, but any contract more than 2 years is too much and repeat of Castillo contract we can ill afford.
Havens was a second baseman in college. 4 years.
Hudson lost his starting job to fat Ron Belliard. I am down on Hudson. Plus he has proven to be injury prone in recent years. That should be right up the mets alley. Another wasted signing. Castillo is actually a more productive offensive player. And I dislike castillo, who is a statue defensively. I am really tired of hearing about chemistry. orlando hudson can keep his chemistry. He is not a winning player.
Figgins was my #1 guy for 2B. i am ticked. He’s better than Hudson, by far. Our ‘valuation’ skills are terrible. Now, Phillips is my #1 for 2B. Fat chance.
2B should not be a priority, especially not before a #2 pitcher and a LF or 1B with pop. Especially not if we have to take on another bad contract. Please just let Castillo keep the spot warm for Havens. Next year our infield will be Wright, Reyes, Haves, Davis and Thole!
I think you meant Wright, Reyes, Havens, Davis, and Thole in 2011 not 2010. Of those, Havens may not arrive until 2012. 2010 is a different animal and the best scenario is just staying with Castillo for another year. I cannot see switching to Hudson as out top priority. Pitching and LF are the top priorities. How come we hear nothing about from Mets leaks? If the switch to Hudson is made, it is just a minor component in the overall situation.
Yes, I meant 2011. Actually, I don’t know much about Havens, but I know I don’t want Burrell or Bradley AND another 3-4 year contract for an aging, marginal 2B.
I’ve seen Havens play at PtStLucie and liked him. He has power for a s/s and a great arm. His one fault is too many errors and he needs to work at that. Plenty of potential but needs a couple more years in the minors. I think 2012 is his year to see the Majors.
i may have been wrong on Havens. He does have some power. Still makes a lot of errors. Needs work. But maybe he’ll come through. Would be nice to have a good 2B with power…but i don’t see it happening with him before 2011. He just turned 23 in October.
METS LEAKS? MASK, DO U MEAN THE ONE THAT HAD US SOLIDLY SEAKING SOSA & PUDGE RODRIQUEZ? BECAUSE OMAR LOVED THEM SO MUCH? OR THE ONES PROCLAIMING NYM WERE DEAD IN THE SANTANA SWEEPSTAKES WITH ABSOLUTELY NOTHING OF VALUE IN THE PIPELINE? MASK, THE NYM FRONTOFFICE IS ABOUT AS LEAKPROOF AS THERE IS IN NY OR MLB FOR THAT MATTER. NO ONE WAS LEAKING ABOUT DEALING AWAY BENSON,MILLEDGE,CAMERON,CHURCH OR ANY OF THE OTHER MAJOR DEALS. WHICH IS THE PRIMARY REASON I FEEL BUOYED AT THIS POINT. WE MAY NOT AGREE WITH OMAR’S MOVES; BUT FEW ARE PRERUMORED. MORE FANS SEEM TO GET ANNOYED & SEETHING ABOUT SO-CALLED LEAKED DEALS THAT NEVER OCCURRED. PERSONALLY, I BELIEVE THIS LACK OF MEANINGFUL SHARING PEEVES THE PRESS AS THEY GOT ALL THEIR PANTTIES COLLECTIVELY KNOTTED UP WHEN WILLIE WAS FIRED AFTER A GAME ON THE LEFT COAST, EMPOWERING THEM TO IGNORE THE 3H TIME DIFFERENTIAL REPORTING THE OCCURANCE BY EASTERN TIME NOT WESTERN. TOO BAD, THEY MISSED THEIR DEADLINES & WERE SCOOPED BY THE NATIONAL MEDIA. THE PRESS HONORS VALENTINE YET PILLARIES HOWE. ONE PROVIDES STORIES WITH HUMOROUS, THOUGHTFUL QUOTES THE OTHER ACTS MUMMIFIED IN FRONT OF THEM. WONDER WHO THEY’LL ALWAYS SUPPORT? WHY? OMAR IS HORRIBLE IN FRONT OF THEM. OMAR IGNORES THEIR NEEDS(INSIDER Q.T. STUFF)THEY VILLAFY OMAR RARELY RECOLLECTING THE GOOD IN FAVOR OF DRUDGING UP THE BAD.
Hi Mike B: the reason why 2B is critical is ‘defense’. We need superior defense up the middle to support the pitching. Castillo’s OF #s are great, but his fielding and his attitude ‘bite’.Hence, we need to fix 2B for that reason. And Havens has shown very little to date. Aside from a cameo in the AFL, his stats, both hitting and fielding, have been sub-par. From memory, i believe he had 17 errors+ last year at SS at STL. He has shown some ‘pop’ and good plate discipline, but he needs ‘at least’ 1 more full year in the minors. He has to improve markedly at all aspects of his game. i’d say maybe he’s ready sometime in 2011. Maybe.
Hey, I’m no fan of Castillo, but I just don’t want to take Bradley or whomever PLUS pay some other marginal player a boat-load when I’m just not sure any of the other options are that much better.
Well Ken Davidoff said no castillo trade to the dodgers, so i guess it’s down to the 3 way with Tampa and chicago and getting Burrell or a straight trade with the Cubs for Bradley. If u have to take one of Bradley or Burrell, which one would u take? I am not sure.
Bradley is probably the better player, but the guy’s a total head case. What a ‘choice’!
I don’t want to see either of those guys on the Mets. Bradley is the better player in my opinion, but the Mets don’t need his attitude in their fragile clubhouse. Leave Castillo in place and fight for either Holliday or Bay to fix LF. Otherwise just go with Pagan, Cory Sullivn or whatever else we have and write off 2010 as a throwaway season.
It’s pretty sad if trading Castillo is our primary objective. That’s all I have say about it.
i agree that Castillo should not be our primary objective! Yet, his ‘D’ is questionable. How can you improve pitching if your ‘up the middle defense’ is subpar? Apparently, we’ve improved the catching (and more if we get Molina for 1 – 2 years). That means 2B must also be ‘fixed’. But, i agree, just one of the components of several needed to make this team a contender.
i still believe, firmly, the Mets will fix this team this off season. They know to not do it would cause major revenue declines in ticket sales, concessions, and TV ad prices.
Time will tell and I hope you’re right. Pretty soon will be time for results to start showing up.
First, they would actually have to know how to do it and I am not convinced that they do.
yes, we shall see. i think they know they have to make changes.
Gee–the mets must be a pretty good team if their maun concern is to unload a .300 hitter. As for Burrell, he is a total stiff. You do not sign guys when they only do well against one team and that team is you.
I’m not that big on Castillo even though he had a decent season hitting .302 with a .387 OBP. I would try and include him in a 3 way trade with the Cubs and Rays. The Cubs and Rays would swap Bradley for Burrell and we could send Castillo to Tampa for Navarro since we need a catcher. Let me know what you think
That is a deal I would sign up for in a second. Navarro for Castillo? TB would be nuts to do that.
Tampa has Zoberist playing 2b.
I think the mets are going to try to make a big splash and go cheap the rest of the way. They will sign someone, crow about it all winter, and go into the season with a lot of false hope. Let’s face it, a lot of “ifs” have to become “wills”. Will Beltran and his creaky knees produce 30 HRs? Will Wright get his power back? Will Reyes play 150 games? Will Pelfrey win 14 or 15 games? Will Santana pitch like an ace after his second elbow surgery? Does anybody think all of these things WILL come to pass? If they don’t it probably does not matter what kind of splash we make. It will just be a grand gesture to shut up the fans, not a sound rebuilding kind of move.
You are absolutely correct. The odds of all those questions being resolved favorably is slim. Some of those issues will go wrong. Each is big enough to detract from the team’s performance in a meaningful way. So the likelihood is the 2010 season will not work out very well. Hopefully, some moves in the offseason to fix some holes will get things moving in the right direction so that over the next couple seasons the team will compete effectively. This year we may be fortunate just to stay out of the cellar. If we get just one hole fixed, we may be good enough for 4th place. In my opinion, our first objective should be: stay out of the cellar in 2010. I don’t think that’s in the bag now and we have work to do to attain it.
Yes, that is my point. Patching this year makes next year Year One. Why waste a year? but too many things have to go right. the mets “management” wants to think it can compete next year (Read: Omar wants to keep his job). It really all depends onw ho is calling the shot. I know nothing about Krivsky, who the newspapers said is a rebuilder type. I just know that he GM’s a team that did not get much better. That could have been ownership’s failure, if they refused to spend. But why keep up the Omar charade? Who does it help? Certainly not the organization he humiliated this year and let down the past three years.
They should trade for Phillips from Cinnci for 2nd base. I think he is better than Hudson. Pick up maybe Arroyo and rid of Oliver and maybe Pelfry. Offer Sheets a incentive laden contract and sign Wolf or Pinero. Put Maine in the setup role. We still need big bopper either from 1st base or left field. Any suggestions.
Tampa needs catching depth and a setup man…and they would trade Crawford, going into last year on his deal. We could do something here: Parnell or Stokes, Santos, Mejia for Crawford.
BOB, ANOTHER IMPETUS FOR DEALING CRAWFORD IS TB JUST PICKED UP HIS OPTION(10M) VERY REASONABLE TO US; BUT HUGE TO TB’S TOTAL ‘09 PAYROLL OF 65M. CRAWFORD’S A F/A AFTER ‘10; SO HE SHOULD BE AVAILABLE & AN EXCELLENT CHOICE TO BAT SECOND, SEEING A TON OF HEATERS WHENEVER REYES GETS ON. THAT SPEED WOULD BE SUPERIOR TO FL’S OLD COMBO OF PIERRE,CASTILO WHEN LUIS ACTUALLY HAD LEGS. WE KNOW CRAWFORD CAN DO DAMAGE IN CITI FROM LAST YR.
yes, a clear possibility Mets62. i think he’d be a great add…
BOB WE AGREE Re.CRAWFORD, A CONCEPT I FLOATED OUT THERE MONTHS AGO; BUT WAS HOOTED DOWN. I TRUST OMAR MORE WITH DEALS THAN CHECKWRITING HE’S BEEN MUCH BETTER AT THE FORMER SKILLSET. PERHAPS A WINNING COMBO IS LIKE THE ONE USED TO SECURE SANTANA, OMAR WHEELS & DEALS SO JEFF CAN NEGOTIATE(PERHAPS HIS ONLY TRUE SKILL-LMAO!) THE RECENT LISTING POSTED THIS SITE DELINEATING ALL OF OMAR’S PAST TRADES REVEALED WHERE HIS FORTE LIES. HIS MOST QUESTIONABLE ONES INVOLVED THOSE PITCHING ASSETS THE PITCHING GURU(PETERSON) WANTED BANISHED: BELL,BANNISTER,LINDSTRUM,OWENS AS WELL AS PRE-OMAR KAZMIR. U MAY RECALL PETERSON HAD CARTE-BLANCH OMNIPOTENCE Re PITCHING GRANTED BY COO,JEFF. LEFT TO HIS OWN DEVICES, OMAR HAS BEEN SUPRISINGLY STEALTHY IN ACQUIRING: DELGADO,NADY, SCHNEIDER, CHURCH, SANTANA, FRANCOEUR, CASTILLO(TRADE), MAINE, PEREZ, WITHOUT SACRIFICING THE PREMIER CAN’T MISS PROSPECTS AS NYM USUALLY HAVE DONE. HOW OMAR HAS SUCCESSFULLY SCOOPED THE NYPRESSCORPS IS LIKELY WHY HE ISN’T POPULAR AMONGST THEM. BOO-HOO! IF U HONESTLY RECALL MOST ALL OF THOSE AFOREMENTIONED MOVES WERE SUPRISES LEFT OFF MOST RUMOR MILL SITES. SANTANA? SURE EVERYONE KNEW OF OUR INTEREST; BUT MOST WROTE US OFF FOR DEAD UNTIL OMAR’S ANNOUNCMENT. WHEN I DON’T READ OF OUR INTEREST I GET INTERESTED.
The only way somethinglike this shoud be a top priority is if we are trading for chase utley. yes, get rid of him, but focus on what is most important first.
JDON, I BELIEVE THEY’RE ATTEMPTING TO DETERMINE WHAT THEIR ALLOCATION FOR LF & SP WILL BE. THEY’VE A TOTAL BUDGET IN MIND, THEY KNOW WHAT THEY ALREADY HAVE ON THE BOOKS & LIKELY ARE FOCUSING ON FILLING THE MORTAR REQUIREMENTS FIRST SO THEY CAN DETERMINE WHAT THERE IS LEFT TO SPLIT BEWTWEEN A BAT IN LF & A BONAFIDE #2SP. IF AS MANY SUSPECT, THEY HAVE 25M IN THEIR POCKET THEY’VE SPENT (2M-SCHNEIDER) OR SO ON CATCHING, LIKELY 5-6M ALLOCATED TO KEEPING DELGADO, LEAVING SAY 18M FOR 2B,LF,SP. THEY CAN ADD 6M TO IT BY DEALING LUIS WHICH WOULD BE EATEN UP BY MOLINA ADDITION IN A 2Y/12 OR A (1+1)/12M WHO KNOWS; BUT I’M CERTAINLY HAPPY TO SEE THEM USE CREATIVITY, OMAR EXCELLS AT BETTER THAN CHECKWRITING. BY MIXING & MATCHING THEY HAVE POSSIBILITIES & I’D BET THE 25M ISN’T MUCH MORE THAN A TARGET ZONE INSTEAD OF A HARD CAP. IT NEVER HAS BEEN, THIS REMINDS ME OF THE METHODOLOGY FRED EMPLOYED WITH PHILLIPS GIVING A PROTECTIVE INITIAL BUDGET & FORCING GM TO ASK FOR MORE SPECIFICLY(USUALLY GRANTED) INSTEAD OF THE BLANK CHECK UNDER THE LUXURY CAP OMAR HAD BEEN GIVEN PREVIOUSLY. THIS ALSO WILL KEEP US FROM GETTING PAYROLL FROZEN WITH A HALLADAY DEAL(MY GUESS A FULL NO-TRADE 23M PER DEAL OF INDETERMINENT YRS.) A CREATIVE SOLUTION MAY BE CRAWFORD’S 10M IN LF INSTEAD OF HOLLIDAY OR BAY AT MUCH HIGHER/LONGER TERMS. LIKELY THIS MAKES DELGADO OUR 1Y 1B SOLUTION, NOT MY FIRST CHOICE; BUT A GOOD THIRD CHOICE WHICH MOVES TO #1 IF GONZALEZ & FIELDER ARE TRULY UNAVAILABLE AT ANY PRICE AS IS RUMORED. I GUESS WE’LL WAIT & SEE; BUT I THINK MOST OF US WILL BE HAPPY WITH THE RESULTS. I TRY NOT TO PAY ATTENTION TO THOSE WHO HARKEN BACK TO THE PHILLIPS’ DAYS OF ‘NO MAS’ REGARDING VLAD & A-ROD. WE HAVEN’T EXPERIENCED THAT IN OMAR’S REIGN. THER’S A LOT BEING WORKED & A LOT TO DO. I STILL HAVE FAITH INASMUCH AS THE RECENT ACCOUNTING POSTED A FEW DAYS AGO LISTING ALL OF OMAR’S NYM TRADES WAS VERY CONFIDENCE BOOSTING. ESP NOW, WITHOUT PEETERSON INSISTING UPON BANNING CERTAIN RECALCITRANT PITCHERS LIKE KAZMIR,BELL & LINDSTRUM(ALL 3 CITE RICK AS REASON THEY WERE DEALT) & ONLY RICK HAD PITCHING CONTROL GRANTED DIRECTLY FROM COO JEFF. PCs CAN’T MAKE DEALS SO OMAR HAD TO GETTING THE BLAME JUST AS DUQUETTE GOT ON KAZMIR. SEEMS RICK’S 10MIN CLAIM HAD MORE TEETH THAN MANY THOUGHT.
gammons said on espn, lackey maybe to angels, bay to m’s, wolf to brew crew and joel pinellio to mets, thoughts
ANTHONY, THAT’D CERTAINLY BE DISAPPOINTING UNLESS A DEAL IS WORKED OUT FOR EITHER JACKSON OR MECHE ALONGSIDE IT. I’M NOT A FAN OF EITHER WOLF OR PINIERO. AS I’VE STATED MANY TIMES, WOLF’S INABILITY AS A BETTER-THAN-AVG LHSP TO FIND A PERMANENT HOME THE PAST FEW YRS WORRIES ME BY WHAT’S NOT ON THE BACK OF HIS CARD. HE’S REASONABLY PRICED & REASONABLY EFFECTIVE PITCHED FPOR 3 FAIRLY ASTUTE PITCHING FAVORABLE FRANCHISES IN LAD,SD,HOU WITHOUT MUCH ANGST AT HIS DEPARTURE. WHY? ALONG WITH MANY OTHERS I FEAR PINIERO MAY BE A DUNCAN DEVELOPED STARTER WHO MAY NOT TRANSLATE WELL INTO HIGH PRESSURE NLE COMPETITION ESP IN NY. I’D MUCH PREFER MARQUIS AS THE SECONDARY SP ADDITION. BEST TO REMEMBER, FEW HAVE EVER PROJECTED NYM MOVES ACCURATELY. WASN’T GAMMONS ONE OF THOSE ASSURING EVERYONE SAMMY SOSA WAS DESTINED FOR FLUSHING?
well right now, it doesn’t look good on Matt Holliday or Lackey that’s for sure and it’s not looking good on a 1b other then Delgado or Murphy as well.