Benjamin Grimm

If that report is accurate, it's encouraging that the Mets have some young players that they're reluctant (or opposed) to include in deal. If they somehow get Cordero, I'm going to try to sneak into the clubhouse and bend the brim of his cap.

I would hope that the Mets would at least wait until they're done playing in 2007 before talking about a contract extension with Castillo.

In this major trade, did the scrappy player in question come to the Mets, or was he one of the departing players?

Hubie Brooks has already been eliminated. One guy who was in a major trade and played many positions was Mike Jorgensen. It couldn't be him, could it?

You mean look hard at Easley as the guy who might be disposable?

]One was involved in a huge trade. Hubie Brooks? ]One played less than 100 games in a Met uniform. Larry Bowa? ]One had two tours of duty with the Mets, and played in the postseason with them. Lee Mazzilli?

Mookie?

"They" probably don't think he'll be paired with another one-team guy.

I considered Reyes, but didn't go with him because he's probably too talented to be scrappy, at least by my loose definition of the term. I should have thought of Stearns though. But maybe he's not small enough for the term to fit.

I hear what you're saying, but I think this is the kind of move you really ought to make given the time of year and the Mets position in the standings. If they were in fourth place, I'd strongly be in favor of them letting Gotay play every day the last two months to see if he's an option for next year. But August and September, in what may be a very tight pennant race, isn't the time to experiment, or to worry too much about 2008.

Backman, Dykstra, Foli, Randle, McEwing.

Yeah, I'm sure it will happen again. It may take a long time, but one article I read recently pointed out that there have been several 15-year (or more) gaps in the past between 300th victories. I remember when Johnny Bench and Carl Yastrzemski went into the Hall of Fame together. Some said it will probably be the last time two guys go in who spent their entire career with the same team. And now we have Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken. And again I heard somebody say that "probably the last time" thing.

Well, what do you expect him to say? "Gosh, I wish I was still in Minnesota. I've always hated New York. I've already won two World Series so I don't need another ring. I'd rather stay in third place where there was no pressure and I could relax. And anyway, Omar only traded for me because I'm Hispanic."

I'm sure he'll have a different perspective when he talks to the New York media. "Sure, I didn't want to leave the Twins, because they're a great group of guys. But I'm really excited to be joining the Mets, a team in first place, and with a great shot at winning the World Series. And that's what it's all about."

Johnny Dickshot awarded 10.1 points. His votes were automatically pro-rated as follows: Glavine 2.5 glavine 2.48 LoDuca 2.5 loduca 2.48 Milledge 1.4 milledge 1.39 Wright 0.70 wright 0.69 Green 0.70 green 0.69 Anderson 0.60 anderson 0.59 Easley 0.60 easley 0.59 Heilman 0.60 heilman 0.59 Wagner 0.50 wagner 0.5 Willets Point voted twice in this game. The only difference between his two votes are that the second time around he took a half point from Anderson and awarded it to Wagner. I'll assume that this vote represents addition reflection on the part of the voter, and I'll go with the second ballot and disregard the first. VOTING FOR THIS GAME IS NOW CLOSED Totals for July 25, 2007 (14 votes) New York Mets 6, Pittsburgh Pirates 3 NameTotal PointsPoints AwardedPlayer PerformancePaul Lo Duca42.923.072-4, R, 2 2B, 4 RBI.Tom Glavine24.481.75(W) 6.0 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO.Lastings Milledge19.011.362-4, R, 2B.Aaron Heilman16.871.212.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO.Billy Wagner9.130.65(Sv) 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO.David Wright7.170.511-3, 2 R, 2B, BB.Shawn Green5.470.392-4, 2B, SO, SB.Marlon Anderson5.400.391-2, RBI, BB, SB.Carlos Delgado3.960.280-2, 2 R, 2 BB.Damion Easley3.590.261-4, RBI, SO.Jos� Reyes2.000.140-4, BB.

I suppose we could still see Jay Payton or Jeff Conine.

Maybe. The thing is, we really don't know how touchable or untouchable he is, and we won't know until he either gets touched or fails to get touched. Right now, my guess is that he's still with the Mets next April. I think he'll be part of the plan for 2008.

What are the odds that cleonjones11 shows up saying Omar only made this deal because Castillo is Hispanic? About the odds of not finding a Beatles song on the radio in 1965.

So why ARE the Twins making this deal? Do they have someone better than Castillo to finish the season at second base for them? They're still in the wild card hunt. On the fringes, perhaps, but too close to give up, I'd think.

His lifetime numbers against the Mets are pretty similar to his overall numbers: http://leaptoad.com/mets/profile.php?PlayerCode=4926 .298 batting average, .364 OBP, .352 Slg. 35 steals in 115 games, which is pretty darn good. (He can probably tip his cap to Mike Piazza for that one.) A total of 132 hits, 115 of them were singles.

Does (did) Butera have a shot at being the 2008 catcher anyway? Letting Ramon Castro play every day next year wouldn't be the worst possible thing. They'd have to get a better backup than Mike DiFelice, though. I admit I don't pay as much attention to the farm clubs as I once did, but I wasn't aware that Butera was considered a top seed. What about the other Jose Reyes? Is he a prospect?

From the Newark Star-Ledger: ] It looks like the Mets didn't wait long to try and counter the Atlanta Braves' big trade-deadline move of acquiring Mark Teixeira from the Texas Rangers. According to colleagues Dan Graziano and Ed Price, officials with two different major-league teams, who requested anonymity because the deal has yet to be announced, the Mets and the Minnesota Twins were closing in on a deal that would bring second basemman Luis Castillo to Queens in exhange for two minor-league prospects, possibly Double-A Binghamton catcher Drew Butera and Class A St. Lucie outfielder Dustin Martin. Castillo would give the Mets the second baseman they need with Jose Valentin out for the year with a leg injury. He likely would bat second in the batting order, behind Jose Reyes. The Mets have had problems getting consistent production from that No. 2 spot in their lineup this year, and the speedy Castillo could help there as well as shore up the infield defense. This doesn't seem like a very steep price to pay. What's the Twins motivation in making this deal? What's Castillo's contract status? (Maybe both questions have the same answer.)

He'd be an upgrade over Mota in the bullpen.

Yeah, well, either way. Newhan and DiFelice are going to make way for a pitcher and a position player who's better than Newhan or DiFelice. If the Mets acquire Castillo, then he'll be that position player.

I think Newhan's spot is ultimately going to be taken by a pitcher. Maybe Newhan goes down now, and a pitcher replaces DiFelice as soon as we know that Lo Duca is healthy.