Phils, Juan Castro agree to deal , pending physical
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Phils, Juan Castro agree to deal , pending physical
Andy Martino
The Phillies and veteran utilityman Juan Castro have agreed in principle on a contract, and will likely finalize the agreement with a physical next week, Castro’s agent told the Inquirer today. Additionally, there were strong indications in baseball that a one-year deal could be announced next week, pending the results of the physical.
According to agent Oscar Suarez, Castro is out of the country, which is why he will not likely take the physical until next week.
"We have been in discussions with his agent," said general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. "That's all I can tell you right now."
Castro, 37, is a .230 hitter, with a .270 on-base percentage, in 15 major league seasons. In 57 games with the Dodgers last year, he batted .277, while playing shortstop, second base, third base and left field.
He fits the profile of what the Phils are seeking at the utility position: a versatile defender who can provide a modest offensive upgrade over Bruntlett, and can fill in for shortstop Jimmy Rollins.
Manager Charlie Manuel is notoriously reluctant to utilize his bench players extensively, and has said publicly that he wants a utility player capable can of starting in place of Rollins and Chase Utley. Bruntlett, who batted .171 in 72 games last season, clearly never gained Manuel’s trust.
Rollins and Utley will both be 31 next season, and would benefit from regular time off. Rollins played in 155 games last season; Utley 156. The second baseman in particular endured a rough September, batting just .204. He later admitted to suffering mental and physical fatigue late in the season.
Comments (102)
Yawn.— zman- I am sure you alkl know more than Reuben Amaro nad the phillies. Could we get rid of the box score from that GAME— BBAX
Comment removed.- if a guy who is a career back up and 15 year vet who has never hit higher than .257 in ANY year until last year, at AGE 37...suggests PED's to me. also to those pointing to last year...that was in 112 AB's which is a TINY sample size and therefore is indicative of, well, nothing.— djacobs5582
- Well, there goes our chances for a repeat in '10. What on earth will we do without the Bungle-itt? Actually, I am surprised his BA was .171. The last I saw he was down around .125-.130.— pajamas
- we're better off bringing up one of our minor leaguers.— ehasan
- Hard to believe Harry....— Tomahawk37
- LOL! You guys are funny!— phillynupe4
- Hey ! 37 works for Raul ; maybe we'll get lucky with Castro .— Joe R.
- Comment removed.
- I am completely underwhelmed....but obviously there has to be more coming from Rube.....this guy will be glad he's on the bench and take any playing time he can get....maybe he can even bunt or move a runner along when needed. Bruntlett couldn't even do that.— Mark1npt
- At the end of the day does this signing significantly impact our chances in 2010? I mean after all Bruntlett didn't keep us out of the Series. If he proves to be any kind of improvement, and it would be hard to imagine otherwise, great. Let's fix that bullpen!— Trifecta
- Good move.— ChrisM
- Why do 61.7% out of 540 total voters think a .230 hitter with a .270 on-base percentage is a good fit for the Phillies? Who is doing the voting?— Gnip Gnop
- .230 career avg? and 37yrs old..come on bring up one of the young infielder's to back-up rollins and utley at least they will have more speed, bruntlett is bad but this man is too old, ibanez is 37 but a far better player.— only 9
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The Phillies Zone is the place for up-to-the-minute Phillies coverage from the Inquirer.
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