Inside the Phillies: Castillo signing shows Phils' growing frustration

CLEARWATER, Fla. - The Phillies' signing of Luis Castillo is more about due diligence than desperation, more about a look-see than finding their man.

More than anything, though, it is about the growing discomfort manager Charlie Manuel and general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. are feeling as the reality of starting the regular season without Chase Utley closes in on them.

Nobody is disparaging the job that Wilson Valdez did in a reserve role a year ago or the job he might do if asked to fill in for an extended amount of time at second base this season. Manuel, in fact, showered Valdez with praise last season and again Monday after the Castillo news was made official via e-mail.

The manager admitted that when he fills out his lineup card before opening day, he will keep in mind Valdez's vast contributions a year ago when the veteran infielder plugged holes at second base, shortstop and third base because of injuries to Utley, Jimmy Rollins and Placido Polanco.

"One of the biggest things I like about Wilson is that when the ball is hit, he goes to it and he is going to catch it," Manuel said. "Wilson is a better player than people realize. I know Wilson can play defense and I know he can play defense in the biggest situations of the game."

Valdez was a defensive magician a year ago, committing just three errors in 397 chances. You could argue the Phillies are better defensively when Valdez is on the field, regardless of the position he plays.

On the other hand, Valdez's value as an offensive player was sometimes overstated. Yes, he had some big hits a year ago. He batted .298 and had a .377 on-base percentage with runners in scoring position.

But when you look at the big picture - the .256 batting average and the .301 on-base percentage in the 88 games he started, the 20 double plays he hit into and the .289 career on-base percentage - you begin to realize that Valdez's prolonged presence in the lineup could ultimately be a problem, especially when you're talking about a lineup that does not include Utley or Jayson Werth.

"If he gets 400 at-bats, I don't know if that's good or not," Manuel said. "If he gets 250 to 300 at-bats that might be real good. I could play him at shortstop, second and third and I might give guys more rest than they thought I would."

Utley, of course, is going to receive an indefinite amount of rest because of his damaged right knee, but the manager is still holding out hope that his second baseman will be around at some point this season.

"I'm not looking at it that he's not going to play," Manuel said. "Somewhere along the line we're going to get him back and the quicker we do the better off we are. But you don't take away the two offensive positions we took away and not feel that."

And that's why Castillo is now in the Phillies camp on a nine-day trial basis. We don't know if he can still play - two baseball men who saw him earlier in spring training said Monday that they do not think he can - but the risk in looking at him is zilch.

Manuel said he is going to give Castillo a long look, starting with Tuesday's exhibition game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin, but the manager's initial evaluation was not filled with exuberance.

"The last couple years what I've seen, he can make some contact, he gets on base," Manuel said. "He doesn't run as much as he used to. I think he hits the ball harder and stronger from the right side. That's about what I've seen."

Castillo, 35, is coming off perhaps the worst season of his career, one that was limited to 86 games by a foot injury, but he is also only a year removed from hitting .302 with a .387 on-base percentage. Even though he hit .235 a year ago, he had a .337 on-base percentage.

That's nine points higher than Rollins' career on-base percentage and only five points lower than Shane Victorino's career on-base percentage. Castillo's career on-base percentage is .368.

If Castillo can prove over the next nine days that he can get on base for Raul Ibanez, Ryan Howard and whoever hits behind them, it would give Manuel much more flexibility when he fills out his lineup card.

And it would also keep the valuable Valdez from being overexposed.

That scenario is better than what the Phillies were looking at Sunday, but it's still not close to having a lineup with Utley and Werth.