phatj wrote:

FTN wrote:im sure hes not going to AAA.

If he doesnt make the 25 man roster, he'll sit at home and collect his monies.

How's that? Doesn't the minor league deal mean he's the Phillies' to do with as they please for the season?

I think it means that he's not on the 40 man roster, so he doesn't have a major league contract. His major league contract from the Mets pays him $6M whether hes in the majors or not. If he doesn't make the MLB team, he can just retire. I get the feeling that if another team was offering him a guaranteed MLB deal, he'd have taken it.

I'd be mildly surprised if the minor league deal doesnt include an opt out clause.

Oh, right, the Mets are still paying him. Forgot about that.

The "Anna Benson clause"

Per Lawrence retweet

Incredibly, the three active players with 35+ hit streaks in their career all are #Phillies @ryanlawrence21 @inthephilshouse

Gotta collect them all

i thought orr's stopped at 34?

Maybe Castillo will get a fresh spark of life without the fears of a bounced paycheck hanging over his head.

The fugee who proposed Ollie and Castillo for Oswalt must be down right apoplectic right now.

oh man, Zolecki adds this

Scouts who have seen Castillo play in the past year think he has lost speed and quickness, which essentially is his game.

The Phillies will get a chance to see if those views are accurate.

The Phillies still think Utley will be back this season -- I'm guessing sometime in June (that's just a guess) -- so Castillo could be a short-term solution if he earns a job.

"You know what? He's getting a little better," Charlie Manuel said of Utley this afternoon. "It's not coming real fast, but he's showing -- according to the doctors and trainers -- he's starting to get better. It seems like it's going to take a while, though."

And that is why they are bringing Castillo aboard.

:blobfish:

Utley will return with a fiery vengeance to pull the Phillies from the depths of their Joon swune.

Buster Olney is officially driving the Giants bandwagon.

FTN wrote:Buster Olney is officially driving the Giants bandwagon.

His last post is so embarrassing I would have laughed if Heyman tweeted it

OK, I feel a little better now that I know it's a minor league deal, but I still don't like it. I think we have better players already on the team and I don't like the message it sends.

imo, the worst part is that this will almost certainly end the chance of them doing something more creative like Wood.

jerseyhoya wrote:

FTN wrote:Buster Olney is officially driving the Giants bandwagon.

His last post is so embarrassing I would have laughed if Heyman tweeted it

Their lineup is so deep because they have Andres Torres and Brandon Belt.

Monkeyboy wrote:OK, I feel a little better now that I know it's a minor league deal, but I still don't like it. I think we have better players already on the team and I don't like the message it sends.

imo, the worst part is that this will almost certainly end the chance of them doing something more creative like Wood.

Whats not to like? Its a no-risk situation which could reap rewards while Chase is out. Also, who cares what 'message' it sends, should we not take this chance because a backup might get annoyed? Oh noes, our backups have to fight for their places, death to Ruben for making them compete with another player.

Monkeyboy wrote:OK, I feel a little better now that I know it's a minor league deal, but I still don't like it. I think we have better players already on the team and I don't like the message it sends.

imo, the worst part is that this will almost certainly end the chance of them doing something more creative like Wood.

its a minor league deal, bro

amaro can and will do whatever the hell he pleases

Do we get a complimetary Juan Pierre with this signing?

etched Chaos wrote:

Monkeyboy wrote:OK, I feel a little better now that I know it's a minor league deal, but I still don't like it. I think we have better players already on the team and I don't like the message it sends.

imo, the worst part is that this will almost certainly end the chance of them doing something more creative like Wood.

Whats not to like? Its a no-risk situation which could reap rewards while Chase is out. Also, who cares what 'message' it sends, should we not take this chance because a backup might get annoyed? Oh noes, our backups have to fight for their places, death to Ruben for making them compete with another player.

Lighten up, Francis. I have no problem with them making backups fight for jobs, but that fight has to mean something.... not all the time, but enough that players feel like they have a reason to fight. The Phils do a good job of this, I think. Werth and Francisco both will be main starters after being backups. Same with Victorino and several members of the pen. Backup players like Valdez, too. It's a consideration. Not the most important thing, but something to throw in there, as I said in my other post.

Castillo is a no risk situation as long as he's let loose if/when he doesn't produce. I think that's easier to do to a backup guy than to someone who is expecting starts until the main guy comes back. I would be surprised if Castillo wasn't promised (or strongly hinted) the starter spot over the others in camp.

My main reasons for not liking it are that I prefer the alternatives in camp AND I think it reduces the chance that they'll do something more creative like Wood. If we're going to get someone outside the organization, I prefer it be someone with some upside. I don't think Castillo has any real upside, though he may be slightly better than last year.

FTN wrote:

Monkeyboy wrote:OK, I feel a little better now that I know it's a minor league deal, but I still don't like it. I think we have better players already on the team and I don't like the message it sends.

imo, the worst part is that this will almost certainly end the chance of them doing something more creative like Wood.

its a minor league deal, bro

amaro can and will do whatever the hell he pleases

I hope that's true, but I suspect Castillo wouldn't sign without a wink and nudge that he would be the starter while Utley is out. Hopefully you're right.

how do you promise someone a position, even if its a replacement, with a minor league contract?