Luis Castillo is already the scapegoat of 2009

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.

First injury of the 'season': Brian Stokes

Update: David Lennon says Stokes will likely be back on the mound tomorrow. Whew.

Via Adam Rubin:

Brian Stokes became the first notable casualty of the spring, when the 29-year-old righthander injured his right hamstring, leaving him unable to work off a mound. "It didn't pop or anything," Stokes said, downplaying the severity.

Stokes is pretty much penciled in to the bullpen for 2009, so hopefully this isn't anything severe.

I was looking forward to seeing Stokes pitch again, hopefully solidifying the sneaking suspicions I have that he's not all the Mets expect him to be. Sure, he was OK last year, but is he ready for a full load of work for an entire season?

I still maintain the notion that the bullpen middle relief has been overvalued by the Mets, and they're expecting some players to do more than they can. I realize they tied up the eight and ninth innings, hopefully leaving only one or two innings to six guys in middle relief.

Still, a lot of game could be lost by a weak bridge to J.J. Putz and Francisco Rodriguez. And handing them a game where the Mets are down two runs doesn't really do much for the team.

Hopefully Stokes can bounce back quickly and get into the groove of things soon. Hamstring injuries are always frightening.

Poll Results: Will you miss Shea?

In my last poll, I asked the readers "Will you miss Shea?"

With over 115 votes cast, here are the results:

• Yes! -- 64 percent (75 votes)
• Not Really -- 19 percent (23 votes)
• Citi Field, Here I Come! -- 14 percent (17 votes)
• Shea? Shea Who? -- 1 percent (2 votes)

I voted "not really." I'll miss the old park, but I won't be too upset once I get a good look at Citi Field.

Next Poll: Who will hit the first home run in Citi Field?

The orange foul pole tradition continues

I'm not sure if this was a well known fact, but Shea Stadium could lay claim to the only non-yellow foul poles in MLB. They were, as you most likely are picturing right now, a New York Met orange.

I hadn't checked StadiumPage.com in a while, so I shot the Mets an e-mail yesterday. Just a few minutes ago, I got off the phone with a representative from the team. He told me, and now I see for myself, that the foul poles in Citi Field are also orange.

"The ownership was very adamant about having the orange foul poles," Chris, the representative said.

Here's an image from StadiumPage.com, taken this past weekend...

Bright orange, just like I remember.

I love this sort of stuff. Fun little facts and trivia like this are pretty much all I remember.

The other thing I e-mailed about will have to remain a secret, for now. Hopefully the team comes through with my little proposition.

Overabundance of outfielders

Ben Shpigel has a profile of outfield hopeful Bobby Kielty, which is pretty funny as Shpigel talks to Jerry Manuel who claims, "he helped me lose my job, and now he wants me to give him a job? It don’t work like that."

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Kielty has the largest differential — 69 points — between his career right-handed (.296) and left-handed (.227) batting averages among switch-hitters who have made their debuts since 1969 and have had more than 500 at-bats from each side of the plate.

No other active player comes close, with Houston’s Lance Berkman, who has a 42-point difference (.312 from the left side, .270 from the right), ranking second. Kielty has also pummeled some of baseball’s top left-handers, batting better than .290 against his new teammate Johan Santana, CC Sabathia, Jamie Moyer, Scott Kazmir and Buehrle.

Unfortunately for Keilty, the Mets have an absolute logjam in the outfield. With four guys (platooning Daniel Murphy and Fernando Tatis in left field) pretty much penciled in already, there's really only one or two spots for players that can fit in the outfield.

As it stands now, I think Jeremy Reed is the first guy that will be riding the pine in Citi. After that, in order, I have Angel Pagan, Kielty, Nick Evans and Cory Sullivan. That puts two people in front of Kielty, as I see it.

Does this set the Mets up for a spectacular triple-A team or a spring training trade? It's too early to tell. Injuries and spring play will show how the roster will fill out.

Report: Griffey signs with Braves

According to my pals over at Braves Blast, Ken Griffey Jr. is the newest member of the Atlanta Braves.

I've always loved Griffey, for no particular reason. Now, I need to learn how to despise him.

Update, via Braves Blast:

Griffey’s agent is apparently communicating via text that the deal is not yet done. Hopefully this is just a “nobody signed anything yet” concept and not a “I’m shopping the term sheet to the Dodgers” event.

Mets Fanwalk blog

I got an e-mail over the weekend asking me to post a little something about a new Mets blog that has popped up. Usually I'll add them to the blogroll and start to read them regularly, but this is something different.

Mike has started a blog in an attempt to post people's bricks they have purchased for the new fanwalk at Citi Field.

So far, only a few bricks have been posted, but this is easily my favorite.How many people are going to find that brick and stomp all over it?

Did anyone else purchase a brick? I know I wanted to, but they were just too costly.

Head over to the Mets Fanwalk blog for a look at the rest, and to submit yours, if you have one. Great idea, Mike.

No Pudge for the Mets

I guess that makes this post moot.

According to Bart Hubbuch, the Mets have no interest in Pudge Rodriguez.

A high-ranking team source said there has been no discussion about Rodriguez in recent weeks, and the Mets suspect he is simply using their name to try to drum up interest. "We've got our three catchers, and we like them," the source said, referring to Brian Schneider, Ramon Castro and Robinson Cancel.

Smart team.

The rotation, if the season started today

David Lennon relays this info, from Dan Warthen:

As of today, with everyone healthy, this is the Mets' rotation to start the season:

1. Johan Santana
2. Mike Pelfrey
3. Oliver Perez
4. John Maine
5. Tim Redding

I have a feeling, if healthy, that Freddy Garcia will be the fifth starter, and Redding will shift to long relief.

Just a hunch.

I like this order, though. Two very strong starters at the front of the rotation, and Redding/Garcia/the fifth starter won't be needed for the first two weeks or so of the season.

This works for me.

Get in line for opening day tix

Want to go to opening day? Then be ready to break out those laptops.

The New York Mets today announced the launch of an online registration for the opportunity to purchase tickets for the inaugural Opening Day at Citi Field, starting tomorrow, February 17 at 10 a.m. at Mets.com and LosMets.com. The registration for the online random drawing will run through Tuesday, February 24. The Mets open their 2009 home season Monday, April 13 against the San Diego Padres at 7:10 p.m. at Citi Field.

I've heard it's an absolute zoo on opening day, and I can only imagine the insanity of opening a new ballpark as well.

I'll be steering clear of opening day, but hopefully I'll get to one of the games soon after.