The New York Mets completed a deal in which they acquire second baseman Luis Castillo from the Minnesota Twins.
In return for Castillo, the Twins received catcher Drew Butera and outfielder Dustin Martin.
Castillo’s $5.75 million contract expires at the end of the season, making him a two month rental for the Mets, who recently lost second baseman Jose Valentin due to a fractured right tibia. At the end of the season, the Mets would likely let him go, and take the draft pick they get as compensation.
As a Mets fan, I’m going to drop the objective approach and just give my probably biased opinion. Castillo is a great fit for the Mets in the #2 spot. He hits consistently for a .300 average, and can steal some bases. He won’t provide any power, but he’ll score a good deal of runs.
However, I still believe that they didn’t need to make a move there. Ruben Gotay has a .350 average in 52 games this year. He’s a fine young hitter that would have done just fine. I would have been mad if they went after any other second baseman on the market (Jose Castillo, Mark Loretta, Mark Grudzielanek, Ray Durham) since the rest were either bad fits or simply not an upgrade. Castillo at leasts fits the team well, and also will prove to be a great double play combo in the middle with Jose Reyes.
Dustin Martin, 23, is one of my personal favorites in the Mets farm system. Not only do I share the same birthday as him, but I watched him play a few times last year for the Brooklyn Cyclones. He was the team’s best player, and has continued a high level of performance in high A for the St.Lucie Mets, batting .287 with 52 RBI. He’s a solid prospect, although it’s unlikely to see him in a starting role in the MLB.
Drew Butera, 23, is a solid defensive catcher, but not much of a hitter. He’s hitting .188 so far in AA Binghamton, but had a .258 average for St.Lucie. He’s likely a career minor league at best, unless he improves his plate skills enough that a team desperate for a good glove behind the plate sometime down the road.
The Mets can still use one or two upgrades in the bullpen. Unfortunately for them, their rivals, the Atlanta Braves, are about to make another splash by trading starting pitcher Kyle Davies for reliever Octavio Dotel.
