Castillo Experiment Over

Ok, camp is starting and I have seen enough of Luis Castillo. No offense, to him because he was a good player in his day, but those days are gone. I find it hard to believe Castillo is going to find the Fountain of Youth anytime soon. Even if he does rebound, if he does not hit about .400 the Citi faithful are going to make Armando Benitez feel like he should have his number retired. He has virtually no rope from Mets fans and he is going to be the poster boy for everything that goes wrong. Ollie walks three guys in a row, Castillo's fault. Reyes gets thrown out, Luis in not protecting him. No Manny, Castillo's contract was the anchor that tied Omar's hands.

The Mets have to pay him anyway so why not go sign Orlando Hudson to a back loaded deal that will be easier to swallow in later years. Adds another switch hitter, better glove, protection in the #2 hole, and reportedly a great clubhouse guy. What's not to like, make the move Omar.

Steroid Proposal

Can there be any justice for the the players that have tested positive? There is justice for players that test positive now. A 50 game suspension is pretty substantial and sends a strong message. However, what about these 2003 tests? What should happen to those players? How about Bonds, Tejada, or Palmerio, or the other 103 names that have not been released? They cannot be suspended or touched by MLB. Or can they? Baseball is game of statistics and legacy. We love to compare stats on current and past players to argue who was better. Was Mantle better than Mays? How about Ruth vs Aaron? The stats give us a reference point to argue about our favorite players.

The stats are the players legacy. The stats are also a way to hurt these cheaters. A method to extract a pound of flesh for the damage they have inflicted on the game. So how do we do it? Simple, if there is any evidence linking a player to a performance enhancing drug his stats are vacated for that season plus the season before and after unless the player comes clean. Then, only the seasons in question are effected. Alex Rodriguez confessed to 2001-2003 so only those seasons are effected. He loses all of his stats for those years - 150 plus HRs gone from the books. If Bonds is linked to 2001, then he loses 2000, 2001, 2002 and 168 HRs are wiped from the books. He still would have 594 official HRs, probably enough to get into the Hall of Fame but he would no longer be the All-time HR king. Justice served. Palmeiro, no longer a 3000 hit major leaguer.

Would it be fair? Maybe, maybe not but being fair is not what these guys are all about. The players affected could actually use this system to atone for their transgressions in a way that we could accept. This gives them a way to sho some remorse, suffer some pain, but be able to come "clean" in a way that we might actually forgive them. We are a forgiving society, but only if we feel the person has paid a price. This is a baseball solution to get steroid users to pay their debt.

How About a Trade for Hudson

What if the Mets were to make a trade for Orlando Hudson? Of course he has no team right now, but lets say he signs with the Nationals. Better yet, he signs a 1 year deal with them in the $6MM range (pure speculation on numbers and club). If the Nationals play to form then they will be in fire sale mode in late June or early July and Orlando Hudson becomes a valuable commodity. Carrying the scenario further, what if Luis Castillo has not returned to his glory days and is booed so much that he only plays on the road. Would the Mets be looking to grab a slick fielding RH stick to put into the 2 hole? If this is the Mets thinking then why wait until the middle of the summer to pull the trigger? First, they would only have to pay a portion of his salary. Second, although they would have paid Castillo for time served, at least his contract would be reduced by about half for 2009 making a little more palatable to grab a better second baseman. Third, it is going to cost a prospect but not a Type A Free Agent type so depending on the prospect involved it could be relatively painless. Finally, it gives Hudson a chance to audition at a relatively low cost for the chance to resign in 2010. Bottom line: Go Nats, get Orlando signed.

Ollie was the right move

We now find out why no one was breaking down Ben Sheets door to sign. The former Brewer is going to have surgery and will be out most, if not all of 2009. That is a tough break for a someone who seems like a good guy that gives 100% all the time. Hopefully, all goes well and soon there is another round of "Lets sign Sheets".
However for now, it looks like Omar has been right on target with this off-season.
1. He moved quickly to get K-Rod and Putz. These two moves can not be overstated. The bullpen sucked last year and the year before. The current bullpen is light years ahead of what was trotted out in 2008. Imagine if Wagner comes back in August.
2. He signed Tim Redding as insurance and a very servicable 5th starter or long reliever.
3. He did not overpay for Lowe, but let the Braves dive in for $24M more than the Mets paid for Ollie. That move is going to pay long term dividends. Lowe would have been a great acquisition, but not at $15M per season.
4. He picked up Freddy Garcia as a reasonable gamble. I pushed this idea and really like the potential upside.
5. He sat on Perez and paid a reasonable (in sports dollars) price for a young, talented, erratic lefty. The starting rotation looks much deeper than last year and is also relatively young.
6. He has signed a bunch of other parts and pieces in the hope that one or two click at the major league level.
7. He has not overspent on a bat. The Mets scored the second most runs in the NL last year without Moises Alou contributing, no production from Castillo, a hurt Ryan Church for most of the year and a Carlos Delgado who very well could have been still recovering from wrist surgery in the first half.
Omar has filled the holes. Do the Mets need another bat? Hard to say without seeing what young Mr. Murphy can do over the course of a season. Give the young guy a chance. Would I complain if the Mets signed Manny or more realistically Orlando Hudson, of course not. But as of now, I am very excited to get going with the team that has been assembled.