Who knew when this happened, it would turn out the way it did? Well, maybe a few people.Luis Castillo still has three years left on his contract. $18 million is owed to him through 2011. Today, the day he walks into spring training to start his second "full" year with the Mets, he's already the most hated player on the team.
Not by his fellow teammates, mind you, but by the fans.
Every little thing he does is scrutinized, labored over and likely criticized. I can only imagine the outcry when (not if) he gets injured this year.
Even Aaron Heilman wasn't hated like this.
I'm not claiming to be on the outside looking in. I think the Castillo signing was absurd, and as his talent and physical ability continue to decline, the albatross that is his contract just grows larger and larger.
There is no chance, either due to a trade or simply cutting him, that Castillo finishes the contract out with the Mets. The way this team is built right now, they cannot wait around for one of their starting players to magically find talent and start playing at the top of his game again.
With that said, I wish all the luck in the world to Castillo this year, but the way I see it, he's going to need a lot more than luck. Prove us all wrong.