Luis Castillo has perhaps received more undeserved grief than any Met player in recent memory. Even last year, when he was obviously playing through injuries, he still produced decently. No, he did not produce as someone who had just signed a large 4-year contract might have been anticipated to, and he may indeed have been somewhat out of shape, but he was nothing close to the disaster that unreasonable, scapegoat-loving fans portrayed him to be. In barely over half a season, he scored 46 runs, stole 17 bases while being caught just twice, and had a .355 OBP. All-Star numbers? Of course not. But solid numbers for a second baseman? Most definitely.
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This year, Castillo has been exactly what could have been expected offensively, if not even better. His OBP and BA are excellent, he still gets on base very well despite having no power, he has slowed a bit but still is reasonably fast and steals some bases, and he scores runs. His defense has definitely declined from his Gold Glove days, but, occasional lapses and the Yankee Stadium disaster notwithstanding, he is still a decent second baseman overall. And if the talk about Reyes needing someone at 2B more like Valentin to motivate him is at all valid, it is surely a commentary on Reyes’ deficiencies, not Slappy’s.
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Orlando Hudson is certainly a good baseball player, no doubt about it. But as the second half of 2009 has shown, he is nothing close to the championship team-leading hero that many imagined last offseason. He got off to a fantastic start in LA, and his anemic second half has brought his numbers for the year right back to his career norms for the most part (Castillo’s OBP is 46 points higher, and he has 4 more runs scored in 76 fewer PA, and for a significantly weaker offense. One would think that ANYONE playing with Manny Ramirez of the career .985 BA w/RISP would have at least 125 runs scored by now.) And ODog still has yet to see a postseason game. Despite the Dodgers’ recent swoon, the overall sorry quality of the NL seems to ensure that Hudson will finally see firsthand what a postseason game is like, although he will almost surely still have to ask Slappy if he wants to know about playing in a World Series.
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In many ways, Castillo has been one of the few positives this year. As the story goes, he requested an offseason meeting with Omar and insisted that he wanted to stay in NY and that he would come to camp in 2009 in shape, healthy and ready to play. He has done all of this and more.
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Yes, his contract is excessive, but whose fault is that? Yes, the contract makes him difficult to trade, but if we did move him, what is the answer for 2B next year? Do we really want to create another hole with the list of ifs and needs we already have? Murphy may yet be an option for second: he comes cheap, has adjusted to first surprisingly well, and surely would work his tail off to learn another position. Hudson does not seem likely, unless he is again left out in the cold until he will accept a bargain basement deal as in 2009, and this would only work if we somehow traded Castillo. And apologies to Bob Dylan, but Slappy shall not be released. Were we somehow able to move Castillo and the last two years of his albatross deal, this would almost certainly mean accepting someone else’s bad contract.
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Brian Roberts would indeed be ideal, but is in the first year of a four year, $40 million dollar deal. Those 50 doubles are tantalizing to be sure. But our most glaring needs—quite clearly—are a number two or co-number one starter, and a power bat for left field. We also have a very unsettled setup man situation, we are far from set at catcher, and the jury definitely remains out as to whether the team will go with Murph next year out of Florida as the everyday first baseman. Should we wind up with Holliday or Bay, or even sign Abreu or trade for Dunn for left, then the power of the new LF along with Beltran and Francoeur, combined with a hopeful return to 25+ HR from Wright, would seem to ensure enough power even with Murph at first. Let us pray that the talk of re-signing Delgado is just that—talk. We need players who can play every day next year, and Delgado no longer can be relied on for that.
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Castillo is surely not ideal, but the fan who can look at him without just seeing last year’s failures and the popup in Yankee Stadium can see that he is quite obviously a satisfactory solution for one more year at second base. All signs suggest that the Wilpons will not be increasing payroll next year, and with all of the other desperate needs we have, upgrading second base just cannot be seen as anything close to a priority.
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Sure, should some team in serious need of a guy for the top of the order who can get on base show an interest in Castillo, then yes, Omar should absolutely listen hard and try to summon creativity, as that 6+ million could go to good use elsewhere. But Roberts would certainly cost more and Hudson would very possibly cost almost as much as Slappy. Assuming there is any way we could get Roberts or that Hudson hits the market again. Were we to be able to move Slappy’s contract, that money—unless the Wilpons do decide to expand payroll—should absolutely and positively go towards a frontline starter, a left fielder, or a setup man long before it should go to upgrading second base.
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It is unlikely that in ten years we will think of Slappy alongside Keith Hernandez, Tom Seaver, Gil Hodges, etc. But the guy is a good hitter, is really good at getting on base, sees tons of pitches, is still pretty fast, is a decent fielder, and obviously wants to be here. When looking dispassionately at the overall picture it seems that Castillo will be just fine as our second baseman next year. Murph is a really hard worker, has played a touch of 2B in the minors and offseason ball, and his offense would be more than adequate at second. This seems to me the only clear option were we able to trade Slappy and most or all of his contract without taking on much new salary. Although it of course would open a glaring hole at first base. Turning the double play is something that Slappy is really good at, and the casual fan may not realize that this is indeed a difficult skill to master. Perhaps Murph could pick it up as well as he has picked up first base; perhaps not.
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Overall, should Omar be able to move Castillo and all or most of the remainder of his contract, sending Murph to play second in the offseason, and playing him there every day in the spring seems to be a reasonable move. But only if we do indeed lose at least most of Slappy’s contract so that the freed-up money can be used for one of our much greater needs. Murph was a third baseman in the minors, picked up first well, and by most accounts was pretty good in Arizona at second in the offseason. He very well might be able to be a decent second baseman. And his salary would not detract from efforts to improve elsewhere.
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But if none of this transpires, and again remembering that we are looking at ownership that added zero salary this season, traded Wagner instantly upon his return to save money, and has the Madoff disaster to deal with, it is extraordinarily unlikely that they will eat more than a tiny portion of Castillo’s next two years, and even less likely that they will trade him for another bad contract. It is most probable that Luis Castillo will be back at second next year, and considering what we have seen from him this year, in terms of attitude, health and production, this is not bad news at all. He worked very hard to rehabilitate himself, he has been a central part of a title team, he clearly wants to be here, and after the effort he very clearly expended in reviving his career this year, he deserves the chance to be a part of resurrecting the franchise from the sorry state it currently resides in. Indeed, many of Castillo’s teammates could learn quite a bit from examining how Slappy has returned from the 2008 season to stay healthy and produce this year.
36 comments
darknova306
9/15/2009-8:19am at 8:19 am (UTC -4)
Nicely stated, Kingman. The one thing I’ll disagree on is the “undeserved grief” statement. Last year, the grief he got from the media and us was totally justified. You don’t come into a season out of shape and unprepared. Being unprepared is totally inexcusable as a professional, no matter what you are doing. He learned his lesson from that and manned up this year. The grief he’s had from people this year is undeserved.
Outside of the Yankee Stadium debacle, and especially after it, I’ve been nothing short of impressed with Castillo. He’s shown a lot of class and determination and hard work. Standing in front of the media and constantly answering questions about the pop-up, then being able to laugh at the mock-cheers from the crowd when he makes a routine catch, and putting up the pretty solid offensive numbers in spite of the negativity surrounding him in the media and some fans… well, that showed a lot from him. I’m fine with having him back next year, as long as the lesson he learned last year about coming into ST out of shape only needed to be learned once. If he comes into ST out of shape in 2010, the booing and scorn will be once again justified (being unprepared is inexcusable as a professional), but I’m optimistic that he’ll be fine. The only real question I have about him next year is: can he maintain the health he’s had this season?
prismo
9/15/2009-8:24am at 8:24 am (UTC -4)
Man, Kingman – you should write a book! Not only is this post a length of epic proportions, but even the title is 20 words!
But I’m just teasing.
Great post, and I totally agree. It’s honestly not even worth trying to trade Castillo and upgrade to Hudson. The upgrade in offense wouldn’t be large, and there are many other positions (LF, C, 1B) that can be upgraded much more easily. If the economy was great and the Wilpons had lots of money to spend – sure, upgrade at every position you can; but they have to be choosy this off-season, and 2nd base just isn’t a priority.
metsfan4decades
9/15/2009-8:31am at 8:31 am (UTC -4)
I agree. Castillo at 2nd next year is the least of our problems.
Truthfully, I think the investment on Castillo’s contract next year is way more of a sure thing than Ollie’s will be…..
darknova306
9/15/2009-8:48am at 8:48 am (UTC -4)
Understatement of the century.
Ollie is trash.
trs86
9/15/2009-8:58am at 8:58 am (UTC -4)
Good novel Kingman, I enjoyed the read over my coffee, breakfast and now brunch. LOL.
But as you point out Castillo is a model of what we need to do not what we need to get rid of. We need a lot of players that come back hungry to prove the critics wrong.
stickguy
9/15/2009-9:11am at 9:11 am (UTC -4)
Anyone that has been around and paying attention knows that I am not the president of the slappy fan club. And I think, despite his good OBP this year, they need a better 2B with at least a modicrum of power, and that his D is not good anymore (range included).
But, I will give him credit for having a better year than I would have imagined, including staying healthy.
I would still trade him (sell high, baby!) if it was for a deal that made sense. No eating all the salary, and no terrible contract back. He is a little overpaid now, but for a starting 2B putting up his numbers? Not by much.
I don’t, however, want Hudson. Way overrated (heck, almost mythical now by some posters). Numbers this year not great, and tailed way off after a hot start. And he is not young, and who knows about lingering wrist issues.
If they trade slappy, they should look to get one of the serviceable guys cheap and short term, and invest the money in the other glaring needs. This would give them a year or 2 (basically the rest of slappy’s contract term) to identify and groom which of the 25 MI prospects will be taking over for him!
I don’t think they should stick Murphy out there next year to learn on the job.
So, IMO, keep slappy for 2010, unless a solid deal falls into your lap. ANd hope that by 2011 one of the prospects (I smell havens! or possibly Tejada. And don’t overlook Valdespin the headcase) will be knocking on the door. With 1 year left, you could move him easier.
also keep in mind that he has bad knees. They really need to have a viable replacement on hand just in case, and I would be fine if that guy was getting ready in the minors (say, Tejada).
trs86
9/15/2009-9:17am at 9:17 am (UTC -4)
I think the time to replace Slappy will be in 2011 with one year left. I see really no way that he can be traded and SAVE money at this point. No one would take him for prospects and his entire salary. Hopefully by 2011 Tejada or Havens will be ready to take his spot. I have no envisions of Murphy EVER being able to play there.
darknova306
9/15/2009-9:45am at 9:45 am (UTC -4)
Agreed, we REALLY don’t need another Murph experiment…
darknova306
9/15/2009-9:40am at 9:40 am (UTC -4)
How about re-signing Cora to backup Slappy? That’s what Cora pretty much is: a backup 2B, but he was forced into the everyday SS role by Reyes’ injury. He may not have pop (neither does Slappy), but he does the little things well when his thumb ligaments aren’t torn apart. He’d come cheap on a 1 year deal, most likely. (I know there’s lots of Cora haters out there, but I still think he’s worth it given our lack of viable 2B depth currently)
prismo
9/15/2009-9:55am at 9:55 am (UTC -4)
If Cora is willing to resign for $1 million, I’m all for it.
trs86
9/15/2009-10:25am at 10:25 am (UTC -4)
I agree it should be cheaper than last year because of injury but I am not going to riot if they pay him 2M instead of 1M. Hopefully it’s around 1.25-1.5M and we can all be happy. Well some of us anyway.
CaseStreet
9/15/2009-10:17am at 10:17 am (UTC -4)
I like Cora and Murph for Bench Infield and Pagan and Reed for Bench OF.
trs86
9/15/2009-9:18am at 9:18 am (UTC -4)
Also, Kingman, I still disagree on the fact that Wagner was traded just to save money. I think the prospects they got back AND the fact they saved money was why they did it. I believe they were honestly concerned that Wagner would accept arbitration.
stickguy
9/15/2009-10:16am at 10:16 am (UTC -4)
I think the guaranteed money savings were more important to them. If they kept him, they would have been out the 3.5mill, + cost of the draft picks (1 mill?) or whatever he got in arb that they had to eat on a trade.
I can’t believe they were that high on Carter, so it had to be a salary dump.
trs86
9/15/2009-10:28am at 10:28 am (UTC -4)
I am not sure. Think about this IF, big IF I know but still possible, Wagner accepted arbitration chances are we would have been on the hook for 8M. How much do you have to eat to trade him without taking on another bad salary? 6M? That’s a lot of money and you still might not even get the prospects we got as he would be only theirs for 1 year instead of for the postseason this year.
Also, I don’t think the draft pick compensation had anything to do with it. IF you told the Mets there is a 100% chance you WILL get 2 picks for Wagner then I think there is no doubt they would have kept him.
CaseStreet
9/15/2009-9:52am at 9:52 am (UTC -4)
Support Your 2nd Baseman!
Nice job Kingman. You know I’m a card carrying member (if not the President) of the Luis Castillo Fan Club. So, thanks for the good write-up.
The whole thing about Castillo’s contract may get blown out of proportion. I don’t think it takes into consideration the circumstances at the time. The years and money may have been too much, but if my memory is correct there really wasn’t any other 2B options and we don’t know if Castillo had a 3 yr offer from somewhere else. Omar tried going after King Gritty, but he didn’t want to play 2B.
Also, re: Castillo not coming back in shape. I thought it was clear he had surgery on both knees so he was rehabbing them during the winter. That made it hard for him to keep in shape, having to keep pressure off his knees. Maybe he had too much mangu, etc. but it’s also something to consider.
I live in a world of grey, not everything is black and white. Sorry for the long post.
darknova306
9/15/2009-10:28am at 10:28 am (UTC -4)
I had forgotten about the knee surgeries. It kinda feels like a decade since that offseason… You make a fair point, Case. Though you have to wonder, at what point was he fully ready to begin training again that offseason, and how hard was he training once he was cleared to. Either way, this year has been nice to see from him.
trs86
9/15/2009-10:30am at 10:30 am (UTC -4)
Yeah there was another team. Houston, based on rumors, offered 3 years at 6-7 a year, Mets went the extra year. It’s not like Omar just said “No one is after Castillo, I like him, lets overpay him just for support.” The only other viable option at the time was Matsui, did we really want to go there?
CaseStreet
9/15/2009-10:42am at 10:42 am (UTC -4)
tnx trs.
So, Omar went the extra yr w/ Slappy but not Lowe?
Conspiracy!
fongy2
9/15/2009-11:23am at 11:23 am (UTC -4)
The key there is “based on rumors”! As I’ve posted many,many times
on this and another blog(we all know)..there is nothing at all
supporting that rumor. Houston talked but never made an offer
to Slappy per the Houston Papers.
Never had the chance! Omar blew everyone out by agreeing to terms
with Slappy on November 18th!
And even if the rumor was true…You don’t offer him THE SAME
deal first? C’mon,Omar wanted this guy and signed him ASAP.
Also,in addition to his knee problems, go back and look at the
stories from all the NY Papers when he First became a FA
AND about how dangerous signing him long term would be b/c
of a degenerative hip problem he has which will likely
cause him after his playing days to need a replacement.
Well atleast we know he can afford it!
CaseStreet
9/15/2009-10:15am at 10:15 am (UTC -4)
trs, comments are off
fongy2
9/15/2009-10:33am at 10:33 am (UTC -4)
Get rid of Slappy the first chance you get Omar!!!
Take the first offer for this clunker!
trs86
9/15/2009-10:38am at 10:38 am (UTC -4)
Fongy, so you are ok with the idea of taking on a player with most likely the same amount owed who most likely had a worse season, just to dump Castillo? We are not going to be able to trade him for prospects unless we eat the cash, at that point what is the purpose?
fongy2
9/15/2009-10:45am at 10:45 am (UTC -4)
Ahh, lets see…Clearing 2B, moving a 35y/o(maybe)former”speed”guy who
no longer has any,who has gone from being a very good defensive player
to one whos ordinary at best.As well as having to hope he doesn’t con’t to
break down which is likely and would cause more of a mess AND lastly…
moving a guy who has been nothing but bad luck and likely bad for
Reyes since the day he walked in the door.
Kingman 26
9/15/2009-10:55am at 10:55 am (UTC -4)
He has been bad for Reyes? He has been bad luck?
I thought you did not believe in fact-less conspiracy/conjecture.
Where is the evidence? And as I say above, if he is bad for Reyes for some reason, does this say more about Castillo or Reyes? Jose needs a damn babysitter after all of these years in the majors?
Come on.
fongy2
9/15/2009-11:05am at 11:05 am (UTC -4)
So you forget about the “keeping Reyes out all night”stories
of last year? And while no I don’t usually believe in consiracies,
I do believe in karma. That aside,this guy is 34(maybe 36) AND
brings almost nothing to the lineup. No power at all,little
speed and defensively is no longer even above average.
Oh, and Brock…Given this guys recent past, would you bet
money that he won’t break down again…and again.
Really if we’re gonna make changes,how do you not move this
guy? Wright,Reyes,Murphy,Beltran&Frenchy would seem safe
So, that leaves LF. Same with the rotation..most everyone
seems safe. So where do you think these changes would come from??
Kingman 26
9/15/2009-11:28am at 11:28 am (UTC -4)
1–A number two starter.
2–A left fielder with some power.
3–A setup man who can do most of what we had hoped for from JJ.
That is where the first changes need to come.
Then, we can think about whether we have enough for catcher and if Murph belongs at first full-time, which will almost certainly swing on whether we get a power bat for left.
Who do you think we should have for second next year Fong?
fongy2
9/15/2009-11:35am at 11:35 am (UTC -4)
Don’t know yet about 2B.Not sure who will be available and for what.
I’m not happy with it BUT Murp WILL BE our 1B
next season. There are no good,available Catchers
so look for Santos and another so-so vet while
they get Thole a couple months in AAA before
he works his way into the lineup in Flushing.
We absolutely need a big time #2 and LF…
hey wait,what year is this??..And i’m hoping
for Carl Crawford BUT won’t hold my breath..
I don’t know how Omar can get a #2SP w/o
spending $$ and/or parting with prospects..
and of course we (again) need to improve
the Pen BUT ya know thats always hit or miss.
Kingman 26
9/15/2009-10:51am at 10:51 am (UTC -4)
His OBP is .400 and his BA is .310, he stretches every pitcher by taking loads of pitches, he has 15 steals and can certainly still run, and is a decent fielder.
Love ya buddy, but you are becoming unreasonable about some things.
fongy2
9/15/2009-11:09am at 11:09 am (UTC -4)
great 15 steals from a speed player,decent fielder..O.K.
and as far as his BA&OBP…He can barely get the ball out of the
infield so having him in the 2 spot kills your chances to score
with the OF playing so shallow.
Really says alot of my fellow Met fans,many who now appear on
the Slappy bandwagon just because he was able to stay(fairly)healthy.
Not much of a standard!
Kingman 26
9/15/2009-11:21am at 11:21 am (UTC -4)
Well, you are applying some pretty strange standards my friend.
I did not say he was a “speed” player, but he is just not that slow and is not a base-clogger.
And a .400 OBP is VERY valuable, in any circumstance, for any team.
fongy2
9/15/2009-11:29am at 11:29 am (UTC -4)
I said he WAS aspeed player! THATs what his game was based
on. It no longer is so were left with an aging smallish
player with absolutely no power,minimal speed,whos now
an ordinary fielder egtting paid 6million dollars
on a team with a budget that needs to make changes.
And as for a .400 OBP being “very valuable”,in any
circumstance,for any team…Obviously NOT..See the 2009 Mets.
trs86
9/15/2009-11:41am at 11:41 am (UTC -4)
But again Fongy you can’t make that money disappear. You can’t get prospects for him so what would the point be in trading him for another contract?
Also, him not being a good 2nd hitter is not his fault. A guy with a .400 OBP with no power that does not K should be hitting leadoff.
fongy2
9/15/2009-11:55am at 11:55 am (UTC -4)
Yeah!, at his age with his lack of speed…
On a BAD TEAM!..See: The 2009 NY Mets.
CaseStreet
9/15/2009-10:40am at 10:40 am (UTC -4)
from the blog father himself:
Kingman of the Real Dirty discusses whether to keep Luis Castillo as the team’s second baseman next season.
…the other side of this debate is, what team in MLB will be willing to acquire castillo and his two-year, $12 million contract…
fongy2
9/15/2009-10:46am at 10:46 am (UTC -4)
Thank you Sir!…Maybe if Omar did get canned and became the GM of some
other rotten team?