“I think they [Dillon and Castro] worked extremely hard, but we just felt at this time it was time to make some changes,” Girardi told The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Scott Lauber and other reporters.  “We always talk about, at this level, it’s a production-based business.  It’s difficult.”

Dillon was in his second season as hitting coach, and across the board, the Phillies’ offensive numbers declined.  After hitting a collective .257/.342/.439 (108 wRC+) in 2020, Philadelphia batters took a .240/.318/.408 slash line (93 wRC+) into today’s season finale.  Even with Bryce Harper enjoying an all-world season, the Phillies weren’t much beyond middle-of-the-pack in most major offensive categories.

A lack of consistent hitting was far from the only issue that plagued the Phillies this year, as poor defense may have been an even bigger problem for the team.  This cost Castro his job, though as Lauber noted, it was perhaps asking a bit much of Castro to improve an infield full of subpar defenders.  Castro (a former MLB infielder who spent parts of eight seasons each with the Reds and Dodgers) is also in his second year on Philadelphia’s coaching staff.

Dave Lundquist will take over as the bullpen coach after previously serving as an assistant pitching coach the past couple seasons. Mike Calitri gets promoted to the Major League coaching staff as the quality assurance coach. Calitri joined the Phillies in December of 2017 as an advance scouting manager after eight years working in the Indians’ organization. Bobby Meacham will also return for a second season as a coaching assistant, adds Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Caleb Cotham is the only newcomer from another organization. He joined the Phillies earlier this winter as the new pitching coach, presumably bringing with him a new-school approach after serving as an assistant pitching coach with the Reds. The other staff members include Greg Brodzinski and Bob Stumpo as bullpen catchers/catching coaches, Juan Castro as the infield coach, Joe Dillon as hitting coach, Paco Figueroa as the first base coach, Pedro Guerrero as assistant hitting coach, Dusty Wathan as the third base coach, and Rob Thomson will return as Girardi’s bench coach.

"It was time for me to make the decision to end my playing career," said Castro. "I'm honored that Ned [Colletti] thought of bringing me back to the organization where I first signed as a young kid more than 20 years ago."

While Castro also spent time with the Reds, Twins, Rockies, Orioles, and Phillies, he returned to Los Angeles frequently toward the end of his career. When he signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers last winter, it was the fourth time he'd signed with the organization as a free agent.

In parts of 17 seasons, Castro hit .229/.268/.327 in over 2800 plate appearances, logging significant playing time at second base, shortstop, and third base. According to Baseball-Reference, he retires having earned about $8MM over the course of his career.

• The Dodgers have outrighted both Jay Gibbons and Juan Castro to Triple-A, reports Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times (on Twitter). Both players were designated for assignment earlier this week, and Hernandez says it's unclear if either with elect free agency or accept the assignment.
• The Dodgers have also outrighted Luis Vasquez, freeing up a 40-man roster spot for Trent Oeltjen according to Hernandez (Twitter links). Jerry Sands was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Gibbons, 34, hit .255/.323/.345 with one home run in 62 plate appearances this year after signing a one-year, $650K deal with Los Angeles in the fall. In 2010 the nine-year veteran returned to the Major Leagues after a two-year absence and hit .280/.313/.507 in 80 plate appearances for the Dodgers.

Castro, 38, appeared in seven games for the Dodgers this year and collected four singles and a walk in his 15 plate appearances. The versatile infielder split the 2010 campaign between Los Angeles and Philadelphia, posting a .194/.237/.233 line in 140 plate appearances overall.

• One scout tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that every team is kicking the tires on bullpen help, back-of-the-rotation starters, utility players and backup catchers (Twitter link).
• Scouts break down former Padres, current Padres, and other West Coast teams for Tom Krasovic of Inside the Padres. One scout says there's "no doubt" that Cameron Maybin can play center field in spacious Petco park.
• Top Pirates prospects Stetson Allie, Jameson Taillon and Tony Sanchez have little in common off of the field, but are looking forward to making an impact in Pittsburgh, writes Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
• MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan reports that the Rangers are looking for a shortstop for Triple-A and suggests Luis Cruz, Tony Abreu and Juan Castro are options.

• Longtime major leaguer Juan Castro told MLB.com's Ken Gurnick that he never considered retirement at any point this winter.  The 38-year-old is trying to hook on with the Dodgers in 2011 for what would be his fourth stint with the club.
• Earlier today, Yankees GM Brian Cashman told versatile Astros veteran Bill Hall that the club was "this close" to signing him, tweets Jack Curry of the YES Network.
• A source close to the Rockies told Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated that the Rangers sought a "very good player" for Michael Young, but didn't elaborate on who that player might be.
• Some in the Rangers front office feel that Neftali Feliz could develop into the type of starter that would otherwise cost a bundle in a trade, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com.
• Yankees fans have been hard on A.J. Burnett, who is set to earn $16.5MM annually through 2013.  However, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes that Burnett's career numbers are not all that different from Boston's Josh Beckett.
• Outfielder Travis Buck views his arrival in the Indians locker room as a fresh start, writes MLB.com's Jordan Bastian.

Castro, 38, hit just .194/.237/.233 in 140 plate appearances for the Phillies and Dodgers in 2010. He's a career .228/.268/327 hitter, but has carved a 16-year big league career out of versatility and solid glovework. If he makes the team, Castro will earn $500K in 2011.

The veteran utility infielder, never known as a strong hitter over his 16 major league seasons, had a .470 OPS in 140 plate appearances with the Phillies and Dodgers this year.  Castro signed a $700K deal with Philadelphia in the offseason that will also pay him an extra $50K for the buyout of his $750K team option for 2011.

Castro, 38, came up through the Dodgers' system and also spent the '09 season with the club.  He tallied a .198/.237/.238 big league line before the Phillies released him this year.

Castro, 38, signed a one-year deal that guaranteed him $750K with Philadelphia this winter. The team is still on the hook for the $315K owed to him during the remainder of the year, plus the $50K buyout of his $750K option for next year. Castro hit just .198/.237/.238 in 136 plate appearances this season after being pressed into semi-regular duty because of injuries to Polanco, Chase Utley, and Jimmy Rollins.

Carroll hit .276/.355/.340 in 358 plate appearances with Cleveland last season, playing mostly as a second baseman but also seeing significant time at third base and in the outfield.  His versatility makes him particularly attractive to the Dodgers, since they stand to lose multiple infielders to free agency and Carroll would fill any number of holes on the bench or in the starting lineup should Blake DeWitt struggle as the everyday second baseman.

Where did the cash-strapped Dodgers get the money for Carroll?  Hernandez notes that the infielder's funds came from the money GM Ned Colletti saved by shipping Juan Pierre to the White Sox.  Colletti quickly spent about half of the Pierre savings on Carroll.

This post has been rewritten by Tim Dierkes.

• Why didn't the Dodgers offer arbitration to Type A free agent Randy Wolf?  They feared he'd accept and get $15MM.  Do you agree with that logic?  The Dodgers were given one last chance to sign Wolf this morning, but GM Ned Colletti passed.
• Free agent possibilities at second base: Ronnie Belliard, Juan Uribe, Craig Counsell and Jamey Carroll. 
• The Dodgers offered only a minor league deal to Juan Castro, so he went with the Phillies.
• The Mets have inquired on Dodgers relievers Ronald Belisario and Cory Wade.

• John Manuel of Baseball America ranks all 30 MLB farm systems at SI.com. The Rangers, Rays and Giants top the list.
• ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick lists nine potential free agent bargains. 
• Keith Law, Dave Cameron and Tyler Hissey don't like the Placido Polanco deal from the Phillies' standpoint.
• Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Pirates have tentative interest in Xavier Nady and Ron Villone, who are both Scott Boras clients.
• Sam Borden of the Journal News wonders how many long-term contracts the Yanks can take on.
• The Yankees get the sense that Andy Pettitte isn't done yet, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.
• They aren't expected to consider an extension for Joe Girardi this offseason.
• Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports that the White Sox have begun preliminary talks with arbitration-eligible reliever Bobby Jenks.
• Placido Polanco appears to be nearing a three-year deal with the Phillies, but the Astros have some interest in the Gold Glover, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.
• Curtis Granderson tells MLB.com's Jason Beck that he doesn't let the trade talk get to him.
• The Rockies have tentative plans to meet with Rafael Betancourt's representatives this coming Monday, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post.
• As Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports, Donavan Tate, the Padres' third overall selection in the June draft, was injured in an ATV accident. He broke his jaw, but should be ready for Spring Training.
• Jason Marquis had a falling out with the Rockies, so Jon Heyman of SI.com suggests he isn't likely to accept the team's offer of arbitration.
• MLB.com's Matthew Leach explains why long-term deals are becoming less frequent in MLB.
• Juan Castro passed his physical, so his deal with the Phils is now offiicial, according to Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

• Diamond Leung tweeted last night that the Yankees "signed Taiwanese 18-year-old infielder Fu-Lin Kuo to six-figure bonus."  Taiwan Baseball says Kuo received about $150K.
• Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has the Cardinals, Phillies, Mets, and Giants as suitors for Mark DeRosa.  ESPN's Buster Olney heard that a few teams are concerned with DeRosa's range at third base.
• Fungoes shows us "when the hot stove is the hottest," graphically.  Looks about right to me…peaks in December, stays hot in January.
• A.J. Burnett talked to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News about Roy Halladay potentially being traded.
• Juan Castro will take his physical Thursday according to Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer; if he passes, his one-year deal with the Phillies will be official.
• ESPN's Jerry Crasnick wrote about potential fits for Jermaine Dye, noting that the Yankees have discussed him internally.  Crasnick says geography will not be a major factor for Dye.
• MLB.com's Jordan Bastian tweeted comments from Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos regarding their search for a catcher.  Anthopoulos is eyeing some potential non-tenders.  Dioner Navarro and John Buck come to mind, with Kelly Shoppach going to the Rays.
• The market for Miguel Tejada should be decent now that he certainly will not cost a draft pick.  SI's Jon Heyman tweets that the Cardinals, Phillies, Giants, Rangers, and Astros are interested.  Rangers?
• MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reports that the Brewers officially announced their minor league deal with John Halama today.
• Nick Green's agent Tom O'Connell tells Ken Davidoff of Newsday his client is drawing "significant interest" on Major League contracts.