The New York Mets cut second baseman Luis Castillo from the team Friday afternoon, absorbing Castillo’s six million dollar contract that was left for this year.
The departure of Castillo, who has become one of a few scapegoats in the Mets lineup, signifies how the front office in Queens is trying to turn things around.
General manager Sandy Alderson said about Castillo’s release: “I don’t think there’s any question that there’s some linkage between his situation and a perception of the Mets that has existed to this point. That’s something that was taken into account. At some point, you have to make an organizational decision that goes beyond just an ability to play or not play.”
The release of Castillo also clears up some of the clutter from the second base position, where Brad Emaus, Daniel Murphy and Justin Turner are all vying for the everyday job.
“In spite of the fact no one has obviously separated himself in the competition, I think we have a good-enough sense of where this is going that we want to accelerate the process,” Alderson said. “So it was important to scale the competition back a little bit.”
Last season, the 35-year-old hit .235 with no homeruns and only 17 RBIs in his 247 at-bats.
