Luis Castillo

Heyman On Castillo, Beltre, Belisario, Ackley

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 14, 2011 at 4:35pm CDT

Carlos Silva looks like he has earned a release based on his spring performance, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Like Oliver Perez, Silva is set to earn $12MM in 2011. Here are the rest of Heyman’s rumors, including the latest on another candidate to be released…

Heyman hears that Luis Castillo has looked better than the others in competition for the Mets second base job. Castillo's performance and the lack of a standout alternative may reduce the chances that the Mets release him.
When Rangers GM Jon Daniels asked Adrian Beltre why two of his best seasons came in contract years, Beltre’s response was succinct: “I wish I [expletive] knew.”
Ronald Belisario is having trouble getting a visa, so the Dodgers aren’t counting on him this year.
Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik says Dustin Ackley, the second overall pick in 2009, has “a shot” to make the team out of Spring Training.

Heyman On Phillies, Davis, Molina, Mets

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 9, 2011 at 9:30pm CDT

The Phillies are concerned about Chase Utley's injured right knee but, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com they hadn't called the Rangers about Michael Young as of this morning. Here's the latest on the Phillies and notes from around the league:

Phillies scout Charley Kerfeld had been watching the Rangers and may have been scouting Young.
Chris Davis has an option left, so the Rangers are expected to send him down to start the season in the minors, despite his strong spring performance so far.
22-year-old Dodgers prospect Rubby De La Rosa is impressing with his upper-90s fastball and command.
Though the Padres would like Bengie Molina to return to action at a bargain price, they're under the impression that the backstop is in "retirement mode." The Padres expressed interest in Molina earlier in the week, after Gregg Zaun retired, but they don't have much left in their budget.
It remains unlikely that Oliver Perez or Luis Castillo will break camp with the Mets, even though the team doesn't have tremendous depth from the left side out of the bullpen or at second base.

New York Notes: Cano, Jeter, Castillo, Paulino

By Luke Adams 2 | February 20, 2011 at 10:24am CDT

We've already heard this morning about one New York club finalizing some minor league deals, while the other had a minor league offer turned down. Let's catch up on the rest of the latest updates on the Yankees and Mets….

On the heels of hiring agent Scott Boras, Robinson Cano says he doesn't intend to ask the Yankees for a contract extension before his current deal expires, writes Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger.
Derek Jeter spoke to media today at Spring Training, including Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). The longtime Yankee said that, when the time comes, he fully plans to exercise his 2014 player option.
Feinsand's Daily News colleague Bill Madden would like to see the Yankees open up the competition for the fourth and fifth rotation spots to some of their top prospects.
Luis Castillo arrived later than expected to Mets' camp, due in part to his brother's upcoming surgery, tweets Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork. Newsday's David Lennon adds (via Twitter) that Castillo cleared up the misunderstanding with manager Terry Collins and is ready to compete for the team's second base job.
Ronny Paulino's arrival to camp has also been delayed, in his case by visa issues, says Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger. Paulino, who was suspended last year for violating baseball's drug policy, will miss the first eight games of this season as he finishes serving the suspension.

Mets Notes: Wilpon, Castillo, Perez

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 17, 2011 at 9:46am CDT

Mets owner Fred Wilpon told reporters in Florida that he and his family will be "vindicated" in the $1 billion lawsuit against them, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. Here's the latest on the Mets, both on and off the field:

Jeff Wilpon said yesterday that interest in buying a minority share in the Mets is high, according to Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger.
When asked about selling the team outright, Fred repeated what Jeff said yesterday: "selling this team is not even being discussed." (Andy Martino of the New York Daily News reporting on Twitter).
Word is that Oliver Perez will get more time to prove himself this spring than Luis Castillo, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Both players are in danger of being released if they don't perform.

Mets Notes: Reyes, Alderson, Perez, Castillo

By Dan Mennella | February 3, 2011 at 6:09pm CDT

Here are a few Mets items of note, as the Wilpons' lawsuit drama continues to unfold …

The Mets plan to let Jose Reyes play out the entire 2011 season to see if he can stay healthy before deciding whether they should re-sign him, tweets Jon Heyman of SI.com. Reyes, 28 in June, is an All-Star caliber shortstop when healthy (career line of .286/.335/.434), but he played in just 36 games in 2009 and was limited to 133 games last season due to a variety of injuries. The Mets picked up Reyes' $11MM option for 2011 earlier this offseason.
GM Sandy Alderson is maintaining that the Mets' baseball operations have not been hamstrung by the Wilpons' murky financial standing, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post, but the true test of that will be in the following months, when the team navigates the draft and the non-waiver trade deadline in July. Sherman wonders, will the Mets spend big on the 13th pick and in the international free-agent pool? If they're in contention, will they have the financial flexibility to add a pricey player? If they're out of contention, will they try to offload the big contracts of Carlos Beltran and Francisco Rodriguez?
With the Mets mired in a cycle of bad publicity due to the Madoff scandal, Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez (particularly the latter) might be released in hopes of appeasing an angry fan base, writes Steve Popper of the Bergen Record. Alderson told Popper that new manager Terry Collins won't tolerate the "conduct that has existed in the past," and that the Mets and their players have a "responsibility to the fans."

For Now, Mets Won’t Cut Castillo

By Zachary Links | January 11, 2011 at 8:02pm CDT

While the Mets have internally discussed releasing second baseman Luis Castillo, they still plan to bring the veteran to camp, tweets Jon Heyman of SI. However, the club is at the 40-man limit and as they continue to look into acquiring more pieces, such as a left-handed reliever, they could sever ties with the second baseman.

Castillo's lack of versatility makes it difficult for the Mets to keep him. Mets GM Sandy Alderson has shopped Castillo around but after posting a .235/.337/.267 slash line in 2010, it's been difficult to find a taker. Alderson recently conceded to ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin that if he stays with the team, it'll have to be as the primary second baseman.

“If he’s going to be on the club, it probably will have to be as the regular second baseman, or somebody who plays quite a bit of the time at second base. He just doesn’t give us enough coverage other places to play a utility role…And I think that’s probably his best and maybe only role — regular duty at second base,” the GM explained.

The three-time All-Star is set to make $6MM in the final year of a four-year, $25MM deal.

New York Notes: Castillo, Choate, Garza, Soria

By Luke Adams 2 | January 9, 2011 at 9:05am CDT

In his Insider-only ESPN.com blog, Buster Olney writes that the Mets have internally discussed the possibility of simply releasing Luis Castillo. The team has repeatedly tried to free up some money by trading the second baseman, but has yet to find a taker. Olney indicates that it's possible the Mets could drop both Castillo and Oliver Perez before Opening Day. Here are this morning's other New York-related notes:

The Mets were one of the teams pursuing Randy Choate before the southpaw signed with the Marlins, according to Newsday's Ken Davidoff. Davidoff says the Mets made Choate a one-year offer worth about $1.4MM, but the veteran lefty accepted more years and more guaranteed money from Florida. If the Mets still intend to add a Pedro Feliciano replacement, Davidoff continues, it'll probably be someone on a minor-league deal, since the market is thinning.
Brian Cashman told Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News that he felt the asking price for Matt Garza was too high to seriously pursue a trade with the Rays. "We never got off the dime, but strong impressions were that it would be something that would cost us more because we are in the division, kind of like Roy Halladay," said the Yankees GM.
Considering Andrew Friedman's comments about using the money saved in the Garza deal to sign other players, Chad Jennings of the Journal News wonders if the Rays' targets could overlap with the Yankees'.
The Royals have told interested clubs that Joakim Soria will not be traded, a stance which Bill Madden of the New York Daily News finds puzzling. Madden suggests the Yankees were willing to part with Jesus Montero and Eduardo Nunez for Soria.
In his blog entry linked above, Olney disagrees with Madden's argument that the Royals need to trade Soria. According to Olney, Soria's contract is so team-friendly it makes it nearly impossible for the Royals to get equal value from the Yankees or anyone else at the moment.

Mets Notes: Castillo, Perez, Young, Reyes

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 13, 2010 at 5:50pm CDT

Mets GM Sandy Alderson confirmed that the team will not spend more than $135-140MM on 2011 payroll. That's a ton of money for most teams, but the Mets have committed most of that to the players already on their roster, so they don't have much to spend. Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork has the details:

Not surprisingly, Alderson said there's "no market" for Luis Castillo or Oliver Perez, even if the Mets wanted to trade them. The two players will be in Mets camp this Spring Training.
Alderson confirmed that he's looking to sign a "bounceback" starter to a low base salary. Chris Young was Alderson's "hypothetical" example of such a pitcher, but the tall right-hander is more than just an example. As Rubin notes, the Mets are still interested in Young.
It appears that Johan Santana will return around the All-Star break. The lefty underwent surgery to repear an anterior capsule tear in his left shoulder in October.
The Reds and Mets have not discussed a potential Jose Reyes trade, GM Walt Jocketty told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link).

Alderson On Free Agents, Manager, Castillo, Perez

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | October 29, 2010 at 2:28pm CDT

The Mets officially announced that they signed Sandy Alderson to a four-year deal with a club option for 2015 and there's no question that the new GM definitely has his backers. Commissioner Bud Selig told Chris Russo of SIRIUS XM Radio that “the fans of the Mets ought to be very happy” with the team's choice. J.P. Ricciardi and Kevin Towers tell Joel Sherman of the New York Post that Alderson has earned their admiration and respect over the years. So what is Alderson himself saying about the Mets? Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog has the latest from this afternoon's news conference:

It doesn't seem like the Mets will spend big on free agents, as they have in recent offseasons. “Will we be aggressive in the free agent market this year? Not likely,” Alderson said.
Alderson says “the manager is a critical part of the overall leadership structure” who has to be analytical. That doesn't mean Alderson will hire someone bland, though. He pointed out that he has worked with fiery skippers like Billy Martin before.
The manager he selects may or may not have previous managerial experience in the majors.
Alderson sidestepped a question about the future of Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo, saying the team must "be careful about writing off any player or any asset … without thinking about it carefully.”

Odds & Ends: Ross, Hale, Daniels, Mets, Coaches

By Steve Adams | October 17, 2010 at 9:13pm CDT

Some links to check out as Cody Ross attempts to follow up yesterday's two-home run performance and the Phillies look to even the score…

Speaking of Ross, Andrew Baggarly of The Mercury News reports that Giants GM Brian Sabean left a "clear impression" before tonight's game that the outfielder will be tendered a contract this offseason.
Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe tweets that Red Sox bench coach DeMarlo Hale is getting a second interview for the Blue Jays managerial position.
SI.com's Jon Heyman tweets that the Mets have been "asking around" about Rangers GM Jon Daniels, and things could get interesting. Daniels can opt out of his contract after the season since the team was sold.
Steve Popper of The Bergen Record says that the Mets might not be making the popular choices right now, especially with Francisco Rodriguez, Oliver Perez, Carlos Beltran, and Luis Castillo, but they're the right moves.
Popper also reports that the Tigers denied the Mets permission to talk to assistant GM Al Avila about their GM vacancy.
ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that Eric Young will be named the D'Backs first base coach later this week. In a second tweet, he says Eric Wedge's former pitching coach Carl Willis will likely play a big role on his new staff in Seattle.
Despite the expected heavy interest from the Yankees and Rangers, Michael Silverman from the Boston Herald thinks the Red Sox should make a serious run at Cliff Lee.
In the second page of that same article, Silverman quotes an unnamed executive in saying that a package consisting of Jacoby Ellsbury, Jed Lowrie, and prospect Anthony Rizzo wouldn't be enough to pry Adrian Gonzalez away from the Padres. He speculates the names that would be mentioned next would include Casey Kelly and Jose Iglesias.
Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports says it makes more sense for the Orioles to trade for a middle-of-the-lineup hitter and an ace starter than seek one in free agency, and asks readers whether or not the O's should pursue Zack Greinke. In his blog post earlier today, ESPN's Buster Olney didn't see Baltimore as a fit for the Kansas City ace.
Reduced payroll will force the Rays into some tough decisions, writes Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. As Topkin points out, nearly the entire bullpen is entering free agency. Rafael Soriano, Grant Balfour, Randy Choate, Joaquin Benoit, and Chad Qualls are only signed through 2010, while Dan Wheeler's $4MM option will be declined and Lance Cormier could be non-tendered. Balfour and Choate are most likely to return, while Benoit will likely look to capitalize on his monster season.
Richard Griffin from the Toronto Star spoke with Phillies bench coach Pete Mackanin, who could be a candidate for the Jays' managerial opening, about the difficulty of getting a foot in the door as a manager. As Griffin says, part of the reason they continue to interview candidates while other teams are filling their managerial positions could be because they have a high level of interest in someone like Mackanin, whose team is still playing.
The Phillies' worst nightmare isn't losing to the Giants in the NLCS or losing to the Yankees in the World Series, according FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal. It's going to the World Series and facing the ace they traded away last offseason, who now sports a Rangers uniform — Cliff Lee.

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