FanHouse RubenGotay

Ruben Gotay wasn't one of the more marquee names on the Mets, but he provided some important hits and adequate defense off the bench for the club last season at second base and shortstop. Still, the Mets feel they're better off without him, and put Gotay on waivers, leaving him emotional.

Gotay was supposed to be on today's trip to Orlando, but with his duffel bag in front of him, he sat on his stool with tears in his eyes as he talked on his cell phone. (...)

"They told me this morning I've been placed on waivers, so I have to wait until tomorrow morning to see what happens," Gotay said. "By tomorrow at 1 o'clock we'll see what happens. ... I thought I did a good job last year and I didn't deserve this."

Did Gotay deserve this? In 190 at bats in '07, Gotay put up a stat line of .291/.351/.421 so you be the judge. The strange part of this is that Gotay's imminent departure exists to pave the way for Fernando Tatis, who not only has played 28 major league baseball games since the end of the 2003 season, but is nine years older than Gotay. Tatis proves more versatile at first, third, and the outfield, but to discard a very serviceable second baseman (who might be needed more than the Mets think with Luis Castillo's recent injury history) to make room for Tatis, who's obviously still living off being the only player in history to hit two grand slams in an inning, seems strange.

Johan Santana may not appreciate it, but part of the reason the Twins dealt Luis Castillo is because he's going to be a free agent at the end of the season. Now that he's been traded to the Mets, though, it's sounds like he's hoping he never hits the open market. From the Journal News:

Castillo will be a free agent after the season and hopes his isn't a rental situation.

"I hope to stay here," Castillo said. "I hope we go to the World Series. ... We've got two more months. We'll see what happens."

Both first baseman Carlos Delgado and catcher Paul Lo Duca were teammates of Castillo in Florida, where he won three Gold Glove awards.

"He's a gamer," Lo Duca said. "He's going to play hard. He doesn't like to lose. He's a great teammate."

See, he's a gamer! From what I hear, you can't win without those. We'll have to wait and see what Omar Minaya wants to do this winter, but I'm not so sure the slap-hitting Castillo is a serious improvement over Ruben Gotay, who's hit .350 and slugged .504 in in 123 at-bats. I guess it's possible that Jose Valentin could be re-signed, but by the time spring training rolls around he'll be 38 years old and coming off a major leg injury.

Major League Mongering will look at players rumored to be on the move between now and the July 31st pseudo-trade-deadline.

Now that the Mets have lost Jose Valentin for at least six weeks thanks to a broken right tibia, they find themselves a little short at second base. Willie Randolph seems to think that Ruben Gotay, Anderson Hernandez, and Damion Easley can fill in, but there's a better option in Kansas City.

Omar Minaya is aware of it too.

Royals veteran Mark Grudzielanek is believed to be on a short list of second basemen eyed by the New York Mets as a possible replacement for injured Jose Valentin.

The Mets showed interest in Grudzielanek as a free agent after the 2005 season before opting to sign Valentin. Grudzielanek signed four days later with the Royals.

Grudzielanek would be an upgrade over any of the Mets options right now. He's the reigning AL Gold Glove winner at second base, so he'll fit in seamlessly with Jose Reyes, and he's a .300 hitter.

If the Mets were to get Grudzielanek, they could place him in the second spot of the lineup where he's just about a perfect fit. He very rarely strikes out, and he'll be able to make sure Jose Reyes gets to second or third without having to steal a base if need be. He'll also get on base a lot himself making sure there are runners on when Carlos Beltran, David Wright, and Carlos Delgado come up to the plate.

It's not going to completely solve the Mets problem in their starting rotation, but Grudz's addition would make an already potent offense even more dangerous, and take more pressure off of the Mets pitching staff.

Major League Mongering will look at players rumored to be on the move between now and the July 31st pseudo-trade-deadline.

This isn't too surprising, but once again the Pirates could end up being a one-stop shop for any contender looking to stock up for the stretch run. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported today that the following three players are available:

Jack Wilson to the Blue Jays. This was one we actually broached yesterday, but apparently this deal is dead in the water until the Pirates lower their demands. Who were they looking for in return? Troy Glaus. Can't blame you for trying, Dave Littlefield, but all-glove, no-hit shortstops (and expensive ones at that) rarely bring that much in return.

Saloman Torres to the Red Sox. The Pirates' main objective in any deal will likely be to improve their offense, so the Post-Gazette suggests the Bucs would go after Wily Mo Pena, who just so happens to be on the block, as well. Pena has enough potential that the Sox might be nervous pawning him off for a reliever with a 5.12 ERA, but Torres is better than he's pitched this year, and besides, the Sox can't exactly afford to be too picky considering Pena is hitting just .202-4-12 in 129 at-bats. This is one deal I could definitely see happening.

Jose Castillo to the Mets. Considering Jose Valentin is expected to miss the rest of the season with a fractured leg, this is possible but unlikely. For one, Castillo is hitting just .238, almost one hundred points below Ruben Gotay, the heir apparent at second base for the Mets.