After what seemed like an eternity battling kidney stones, I finally got some time to actually sit down and blog a little bit about my Mets. The last time I sat in front of my computer, the Mets were on the verge of acquiring Johan Santana, and I was so overjoyed to see that we finally got our man. With Johan in the fold it means we finally have a bona-fide stopper and it allows guys like Maine and Perez the opportunity for continued growth and development without the pressure of having to carry the team. Santana will also provide a big boost to the bullpen which had been so overworked and stretched thin last season.
Overall, I applauded most of the moves that Omar made in the off season except for one. Although I thought the Moises Alou signing was justified and worth the risk, I was never really sold on the idea of a 4-year contract for Luis Castillo.
Today, when I look at the long list of Mets players battling all of their nagging injuries, the one player that sticks out like a sore thumb is Luis Castillo.
We all knew that Delgado and Beltran would be trying to come back from off season surgery. And of course, seeing Moises Alou hit the skids for 4-6 weeks comes as no surprise to any Mets fan. El Duque it seems has been dealing with that old bunion problem for the last 5 years. Nobody could have predicted that Ryan Church and Marlon Anderson would be hurt in that awful collision, but these things happen to all teams.
Castillo’s injury is the one that really gets under my skin. What gets me mad is that we were assured that Luis Castillo’s knee problems were behind him and were a thing of the past. We were all told how he was feeling better than at anytime in the last five years. His bum knee had been fixed and that he would be ready to go in 2008. Obviously we were duped.
I find it so hard to believe that we needed to give a 32-year old second baseman with bad knees a 4-year deal. I doubt that there were any other 4 year offers for him in the market. I know that Houston had some interest, but they were certainly not willing to go beyond two years on Castillo.
I think the Mets might have been better served by giving Ruben Gotay a shot at the everyday job at second base. I know that Willie Randolph was not thrilled with his defense, but in the limited time we saw him last year, he didn’t look as bad as he was portrayed to be. I think his lively bat and enthusiasm was a breath of fresh air at times last year. With some hard work and more playing time, he may have elevated his defense to a more acceptable level.
Hey, I’m not looking to knock on Castillo or Omar for that matter, all I’m saying is that I think we could have exercised a little better judgment at the second base position this off season. What are your thoughts on Luis Castillo?
