Luis Castillo.

Ok, I've mentioned a couple of times that the Luis Castillo signing was more complex than most people know or understand, and I've been meaning to write about it forever.

But thankfully, Metsblog.com's Matt Cerrone makes about 65% of my point. There's good, and bad in Luis Castillo.

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http://www.metsblog.com/2008/05/27/note-luis-castillo-likes-double-plays/

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Luis Castillo has grounded in to seven double plays in only 25 opportunities, which is the third-worst rate in baseball.

…what’s worse, it feels like so many of castillo’s double plays occur during what could be a big rally…first and second, one out, castillo hits in to a double…over and over again, it seems…

…for what it’s worth, from what i can gather out of people close to the team, Mets GM Omar Minaya wanted to sign David Eckstein, not castillo…

…however, eckstein’s plan was to hold out a) for more money from another team, and b) the opportunity to remain at shortstop…in fact, there are lots of people who believe eckstein had zero intention of playing second base…anywhere…

…meanwhile, castillo had a three-year offer from the Astros, and, for the sake of not waiting around, the Mets gave castillo one more year and ended their search for a second baseman…

…and so now the Mets have a 33–year-old, rally-killing second baseman with bad knees, earning $6 million per season for the next four years…

For what it’s worth, Eckstein is batting .246 in 30 games for the Blue Jays, while starting at shortstop.

Also, in 34 games for the Braves, Ruben Gotay is batting .258 in just 31 at bats.

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Here's the thing about 2B in the league... There aren't many who are great at the plate. Can you name someone other than Chase Utley who is a superstar at that position?

At the end of last season, the Mets simply didn't have a whole lot of viable options at a position that is already tough to fill.

- Ruben Gotay. Currently riding the bench in Atlanta as a backup. Defensive liability. Had one good year at the plate with the Mets, and not surprisingly, hasn't repeated that in his bench role with Atlanta.

- Anderson Hernandez. Great defensively, can't hit major league pitching, can't hit minor league pitching. Other than pinch-running or as a late-inning defensive replacement, I'm not sure what purpose he would ever serve to any major league club.

- David Eckstein. 2B is not his natural position, and as Cerrone alludes to, he likely wouldn't have agreed to play 2B to begin with. It should also be noted that Eckstein was actively looking for more money, and FIVE years. He ended up signing with Toronto for one year when the leverage his agent thought they had, was gone.

- Tadahito Iguchi. The Mets don't have much luck with Japanese players to begin with, but aside from that, look at his current numbers with San Diego. Worse than Castillo.

- Kazuo Matsui. Couldn't handle New York. Some players are meant to play elsewhere. And while he's been better with Colorado and Houston, he's hardly the same guy any team expected him to be based on his play in Japan.

- Damion Easley. Really? As an everyday starter?

- Jose Valentin. A lot of fans don't comprehend that Jose Valentin was the team's "accidental 2B" in 2006, and turned out to be a genius signing by Omar Minaya, even if it was never planned that way. A shortstop most of his career, Valentin was more than likely on steroids during his time with the Chicago White Sox, as his mediocre power numbers while with Milwaukee, jumped when he got to Chicago. He was hitting 25+ HRs a year, and increased his BA that hovered around .225, to .260 for the next couple of years. To be fair, Valentin was never caught but the numbers are quite suspect.

Once Valentin became a free agent, the White Sox moved on, and he signed with the L.A. Dodgers for the 2005 season. Valentin's numbers with Los Angeles were abysmal, and it didn't help that he was on the DL most of the season after suffering torn knee ligaments. He put up a BA of .170 in 56 games. His career was pretty much over.

Until he signed with the Mets for the 2006 season as a bench player, and backed into the 2B position mid-season once Kazuo Matsui was traded to Colorado and it was apparent that Anderson Hernandez wasn't the answer either. Valentin revitalized his career, at least for one season.

But the 2B position still needed to be filled, and Jose Valentin wasn't the full-time answer. In the offseason, the team signed him to a one-year deal with an option for 2008, as Valentin was still a player who should've been valuable in a bench role, but not as a full-time 2B. However, there were still no better options available.

So Valentin began 2007 as the team's everyday 2B, but didn't quite put up the same numbers he did in 2006. In a game against the Dodgers in Los Angeles on July 20, 2007, Valentin broke his leg off an foul ball. After recovering from the freak injury, Valentin has been working his way back through the Mets minor leagues, and would be great to have on the bench. But no longer as a full-time 2B.

Oh yeah, Luis Castillo...  As far as the available 2B free agents the team had at the end of the 2007 season, Castillo's agent had the leverage over Omar Minaya.

There weren't better options available and the Astros had made a 3-year offer to Castillo. Minaya gave him a better deal and that was that.

Was the 4-year deal too long? Definitely, but at that point, what else could Omar Minaya do?

But lets look at what should at least be the positives of Luis Castillo...
- Above-average defensively. Of the aforementioned options listed, only Anderson Hernandez is better at fielding the position. Maybe Valentin too.

- Career .300 hitter with a 1:1 BB/K ratio, if not better during certain years. Maintains a higher OBP than Jose Reyes every single season.

- As a solid contact hitter, he is difficult to strike out.

- Even on creaky legs, still maintains good speed, and is 9 for 10 in SB this season.

Luis Castillo is not having the best start this season (though other than Ryan Church, what Met is?), but if you look at the other 2B options that were available to the Mets, he's STILL the least of all evils.