…i’m not sure sure i was keen on bringing in Millwood to begin with…outside of 2009, Millwood hasn’t exactly been stellar in the past four years despite winning 48 games…i think getting him out of Texas would be beneficial for him but i don’t think taking on that contract at his age is a wise move anyway…

In addition, Hubbuch says the Mets are not expected to make any major moves until the Winter Meetings and the Mets top priority is a left fielder but are keeping contact with the agents for John Lackey, Joel Pineiro, and Randy Wolf as possible additions to the rotation.

…i understand that they feel a need for offense, and while they need to improve the lineup i can’t help but worry that the Mets will be on an all out pursuit for offense, and somehow forget that there is a great need to improve the pitching staff…

Hubbuch also says that the Mets are considering bringing back Carlos Delgado if he proves to be healthy during winter ball, and David Lennon of Newsday says that Omar Minaya will be speaking with Delgado this week when he visits Puerto Rico about a possible return.

…i’m still iffy on bringing back Delgado, although i have always liked him…i think the team should be looking to move on from Delgado, although it would be hard to argue with bringing him back if all other possibilities fall through…

For more on this, check out the New York Post here, and Newsday here.

Wendy points out that Castillo had a great offensive season and was one of the few players to avoid the disabled list, and given that plus the Mets need for pitching and offense at other positions, the team should hold onto him.

…i agree with Wendy that trading Castillo should not be at the top of the Mets priority list, and i don’t think that it is and i think the team would be ok if they filled other needs and didn’t trade Castillo…but he is a singles hitter only and has become a defensive liability to the point where he was a detriment to the team this past season…it’s not to say that his poor defense wasn’t a fluke and that doesn’t mean he won’t be more dynamic at the plate in 2010, but this team lost 92 games in 2009 and injuries are not the only reason for that, so if they have an opportunity to move him for an upgrade, i feel they should do it even if they fill that need before other higher priorities…

For more on this check out Wendy’s post here.

Through Sunday, Wright is hitting .323 and is in fifth place behind Pablo Sandoval, who is hitting .324 for the Giants.

In addition, Castillo is hitting .311, and he is tied for sixth place with Ryan Braun of the Brewers.

…i know that average alone doesn’t tell the entire story as Wright in particular has had a year long power outage...his slugging percentage is down almost 70 points from 2008 and almost 60 points for his career…and Castillo has had a bizarre year defensively as well…

In addition, Luis Castillo should be returning to the lineup Sunday, while Gary Sheffield remains a question mark as he continues to nurse a sore hamstring.

…i mean, it reads like a lead from The Onion… the thing is, it’s the truth… and, what’s worse, it’s not the least bit surprising…

According to the team, X-rays on Castillo’s ankle were negative.

…how paranoid is David Wright… if i’m him, i am making no sudden movements, i am certainly not walking under latters, and i’m taking small, careful steps when getting out of the shower… go slow, man…

Speaking of injuries…

Jose Reyes returned from St. Lucie yesterday to be examined by team doctors in New York.

According to the team, Reyes continues to feel discomfort in his leg.

…as i said a few weeks ago, from what i understand, the tendon connecting his hamstring and his knee is strained… i have no idea what this means… but, the team and jose continue to believe he can return to action this season… according to people close to reyes, he wants to play, but he’s nervous that he may do more damage and make things worse… the way i understand, he shut it down late last week, but could not fire it back up over the weekend… my bet, however, which is an educated guess, is when news from the doctor comes in, they’ll just shut him down and start work on getting him ready for next season…

Castillo was helped to the clubhouse by Ray Ramirez and Fernando Tatis.

…the icing on the cake…

Castillo is batting .400 with a .500 OBP in his last 70 at bats, raising his average to .306 on the season.

Yesterday, Manuel told reporters he is unlikely to give Alex Cora a day off, considering how well the team is playing.

He has been involved in roughly 40 percent of the team’s runs during the current four-game winning streak.

…he’s all over the place… it’s like he’s back with the Marlins… he looks lighter on his feet, he’s bouncing around, making athletic plays, hustling down the line, he’s taking pitches, but not too many pitches, suggesting he’s feeling confident and in control at the plate… i’m happy for him… he’s a good example of shaking off negativity and charging forward… from a business point of view, should the Mets decide to trade him this off season, if he keeps this up, it will be a lot easier, that’s for sure… for now, though, run luis, run…

Castillo is batting .400 with a .500 OBP in his last 70 at bats, raising his average to .306 on the season.

Jerry Manuel, speaking about Castillo last night, said:

“The thing about Luis, we have found a way to fit his game in to what we’re doing and we’ve kind of worked around him as well.  He’s been very good, a lot of energy, a lot of enthusiasm, he’s playing tremendous baseball… When he’s batting eighth, he’s not the same as when he’s batting second.  When he’s batting second, he’s in his game-mode of taking pitches, seeing pitches, moving runners, running the bases well.”

Castillo is batting .361 with a .459 OBP with seven extra base hits in 285 at bats hitting second this season.

In the Star-Ledger, Brian Costa writes about Castillo’s day, and the support he received from his teammates.

…i think this may have helped them as a ‘team,’ because i have been sent all sorts of nuggets from friends in the clubhouse pointing out how castillo’s teammates were making a serious effort to have his back, and in some ways it might have pulled them all closer… time will tell…

…while there was a sense of urgency to perform yesterday, it was also impressive that they could do so and play as relaxed as it appeared they were playing…

In addition, Manuel was very pleased with the performance of Fernando Nieve, adding that he “thought the biggest key for (Nieve) today was to pitch (inside) and there were times when he threw his secondary pitches from behind in the count for strikes…he was very impressive.”

…I would expect that we will be seeing Nieve start at least another game. He was real good against one of the toughest lineups in Baseball…

In the clubhouse, Luis Castillo told reporters that he feels “good right now, I feel better…today that’s a big game for us. We win this game today and we feel better.”

…Castillo has had a great bounce back season so far and I would hate to see what he has accomplished get erased by that dropped pop up. I was really happy to see him play as well as he did after what happened to him the night before. It was a great sign from him…