Mets trade for Diamondbacks' Jose Castillo after bullpen injuries
The Mets sent cash to the Diamondbacks in exchange for lefty reliever José Castillo, who had been designated for assignment.
To clear roster space, the Mets DFA'd righty Kevin Herget.
The Mets acquired Jose Castillo from the Diamondbacks. Getty Images
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Castillo, a 29-year-old with 45 games of major league experience and a career 5.21 ERA, becomes a depth option for an organization that has needed southpaws.
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Both A.J. Minter and Danny Young are gone for the season, leaving Génesis Cabrera as the only lefty reliever on the 26-man roster.
The Mets already had signed the rehabbing Brooks Raley to become an option later in the season.
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Advertisement Fordham third baseman Daniel Bucciero (9) won't turn 21 until October, and hit .320/.424/.516 with a hard-hit rate of 54 percent and solid plate discipline. He barely faced any good pitching, with only a dozen recorded pitches of 94 or better. His twin brother, Matthew, was undrafted out of Fairfield, with a higher hard-hit rate but more swing and miss. Beyond the top 10 rounds, Bryan Arendt (13) was Taylor's catcher at UNC Wilmington. He plays strong defense and has average or slightly better power, lacking the hit tool right now to see a regular. He's also been up to 98 with an average sweeper in about eight innings this year. The Astros took hard-hitting high school infielder Xavier Neyens (1) out of the Seattle area, betting on Neyens' big raw power and their ability to improve his hit tool. He swings very hard, with a lot of effort and intense bat speed, and he has good loft in his finish to produce contact in the air. He shows solid zone awareness; his issue is whiffing on stuff in the zone, rather than hacking at pitches outside of it. The Astros announced him as a shortstop, with third base a much more likely long-term home for him with his plus arm but bigger frame that could even push him to right field. It's 25-30 homer upside if he hits. LSU's Ethan Frey (3) went from barely playing his first two years in Baton Rouge to hitting .331/.420/.641 in 62 games this spring, almost all as a designated hitter, however. He has above-average power and a good idea of the strike zone, but starts with his hands high and never really gets them down, so he's very vulnerable in the lower third and down. He could probably play an outfield corner, although it's concerning that LSU gave him so little time in the field. Southern Miss second baseman Nick Monistere (4) hit 21 homers this year, with a power-over-hit approach and some of the best hard-contact rates in Division I this year. He moved from primarily playing the outfield in previous years to playing second full-time this year, and took to it well, as he's a strong athlete who could probably handle super-utility duty. Wichita State right-hander Nick Potter (5) is a true reliever who's 94-98, up to 100, with riding life on the pitch, throwing it three-quarters of the time. His slider looks like it should be plus but played more like a grade-55 pitch this spring. He walked 12.9 percent of batters he faced as a one-inning reliever this spring, his only year with the Shockers after transferring in from Jacob Misiorowski College (formerly known as Crowder), with a 25 percent strikeout rate. Right-hander Gabel Pentecost (6) pitched three years at Taylor University, an evangelical school in Indiana, and dominated NAIA hitters with good feel to pitch, a 55 slider and a fastball up to 94 that's typically more 90-92. He might be a back-end starter, more likely an up-and-down guy. Advertisement Catcher Jase Mitchell (7) is a Delaware kid, although he plays at the other end of the state (so, you know, about 20 minutes from me). He's got above-average power and a swing that pulls the ball in the air, with projection left to his frame and the potential at least to stick behind the plate. His hit tool is behind the rest of his game, partially the result of playing some weak competition in the First State. Arizona State second baseman Kyle Walker (8) transferred in from Grambling State — alma mater of Tommie Agee, Cleon Jones, Lynn McGlothen, Gerald Williams and others — and continued to walk more than he struck out because he almost never whiffs on fastballs. He's got a compact body at 5-foot-9, 185, like someone placed an order for the Usual at the Second Baseman Diner, with a slightly flat swing and hard enough contact to see maybe 45 power. He's a plus runner who should at least get a look in center at some point. He turned 22 in January. Oregon State right-hander Kellan Oakes (9) worked mostly out of the Beavers' bullpen this year, pitching at 93-95 with his four-seamer along with a slider and cutter. The fastball doesn't miss enough bats and he has maybe 45 control, but I could see something here if the Astros think they can tweak the heater's shape or have him use that cutter at 89-90 more often. The Angels had the first shocker selection of the draft, taking right-hander Tyler Bremner (1) with the second pick — but was it that much of a shock? In hindsight, I don't think it was. Everyone expected the Angels to take a pitcher. Bremner came into the year as the top right-handed pitching prospect in the class, and based on 2024 data and video I saw, I would have taken him over Jamie Arnold back in February. Then Bremner stumbled out of the chute and everyone seemed to move on. He finished the spring very strongly, with 10 or more strikeouts in six of his last seven starts, and his stuff held or even improved as the season went on. He sits 94-96 on a four-seamer that works when he locates it to the edges or runs it in on hitters, and his changeup is a 70 that misses bats on both sides. His slider looks right from the data, but he cuts himself off when he lands and doesn't finish the pitch to make it a real third weapon for him. He walked just 6.1 percent of batters on the season, so you can see a fourth starter right away if he never makes any changes, with a lot more upside if the Angels can help him fix the slider or maybe have him try a two-seamer. Bremner's mother fought cancer all spring and died about a month before the draft, which would be more than enough justification for any player struggling. Then the Angels did the most Angels thing: they took an advanced college reliever who could probably pitch in the majors this year, LSU starter-turned-closer Chase Shores (2), who sealed up the Tigers' College World Series win in an outing that saw him hitting 100 on his sinker with an above-average slider up to 91. He needs a pitch for lefties, as they posted a .412 OBP against him this spring, but once that happens he doesn't need a lot of development time. Texas high school lefty Johnny Slawinski (3) was the best prep arm in the state and one of the best projection arms in the draft. He's in the low 90s now and shows both good carry and that low release height teams are always chasing. His slider projects to plus and he has enough feel to say his changeup will get to at least average. He's very athletic as well and may benefit from just playing baseball full-time. This was my favorite pick of the Angels' draft class. Advertisement Tennessee reliever Nate Snead (3A) is more Angelsing, a college pitcher who hit 100 in the CWS and boasts a power curveball at 82-85. He struggled this year to keep anything down in the zone, so he got hit more than he had in the past. He also needs a pitch for lefties. Louisville third baseman Jake Munroe (4) transferred to the Cardinals from junior college and finished second on the team in walks and third in homers, with a .346/.451/.593 line. He's hit over power, though, with maybe average raw power, showing real zone awareness and strong contact skills. He looks like he should be a power hitter, though; he just hasn't hit the ball hard enough to say he has that ability in games. North Carolina high school righty CJ Gray (5) was also a quarterback and he pitches like someone with a great arm who hasn't spent a lot of time on the mound. He's 92-96 and flashes an above-average slider, but the delivery — while not violent — is all over the place, so I can't imagine he's going to throw a lot of strikes right out of the chute. If the Angels are willing to be patient, such as giving him all of 2026 in the Arizona Complex League, there is clear upside here, with very long odds. Michigan high school right-hander Luke Lacourse (6) is 90-91 with projection, but it's the slider that stands out, as he reportedly hit a spin rate over 3400 at the preseason Super 60 scouting event. It's a super-short arm action with effort and head-whack at release, though, none of which is great for future command or durability. He is committed to Michigan State. Arizona State outfielder Isaiah Jackson (8) is very athletic and has bat speed, but his hit tool is a 40 right now. His power and speed are both above-average, he can play center and he can hit a fastball. In the eighth round, I am taking an athlete like him all day. The Mariners landed the player I thought was going to go first, LSU lefty starter Kade Anderson (1), who was a major reason the Tigers won their umpteenth College World Series. Anderson works at 91-95 with two fastballs and throws a slider and curveball, as well as a changeup that was one of the best in the class. I had one analyst tell me this spring he thought Anderson's pitches graded out the best based on their characteristics when taken as a group out of any pitcher's arsenal in the draft. He was worked hard by LSU, as they do down there, but he competed as well as any pitcher I saw this spring. He should be in the majors by the end of next year. UNC catcher Luke Stevenson (1A) had a weird year at the plate, with a Three True Outcomes (walks, strikeouts, homers) rate of 51 percent. He posted a BABIP of just .270 despite a hard-hit rate of 57 percent, which is hard to reconcile beyond bad luck — hard-hit balls are more likely to become hits, especially if they're hit in the air, which he did nearly two-thirds of the time. That's a long way of saying I think he's a lot better than the .250/.414/.552 line implies, and even if he ends up striking out 25 percent of the time he'll be an above-average regular because he can catch and throw and he has power. Advertisement New Jersey prep shortstop Nick Becker (2) might have been a first-rounder if someone hadn't altered his swing to make him all launch-angly, a change that might be appropriate for big power hitters but not for Becker, as he didn't hit nearly as well this summer with a steep uphill swing that cost him contact. He's a 55 runner and has a better than even chance to stay at shortstop. If the Mariners can undo the mechanical damage — and many others, like the Siani brothers and Griff O'Ferrall, have not been able to reverse similar swing changes — they could have a star here. Right-hander Griffin Hugus (3) transferred from Cincinnati, where he was a reliever for two years, to Miami this spring to join the Hurricanes' rotation. He led Miami in all the things, as their only starter to take the ball every weekend, working mostly fastball/slider, 92-94 on the four-seamer, with a curve and seldom-used changeup. Nothing here is plus yet, but he repeats the delivery well (with a full windup, kind of a novelty at this point) and showed much better command and control working in the rotation than he did in relief. What rhymes with Hugus? Dallas Baptist lefty Mason Peters (4) struck out 31.5 percent of batters he faced this spring, working mostly in relief, but with an even higher strikeout rate in his four starts (35.8 percent). He's a slightly smaller guy who works 92-94 with two solid breaking balls, a slider and an old-school curveball, and comes very online to the plate. He needs something for righties, as he had enough of a platoon split this year to affect his odds of sticking as a starter. Indiana center fielder Korbyn Dickerson (5) has first-round tools, with at least 70 power and similar speed, but it's a 40 hit tool at best. Once conference play began, even Big Ten pitchers gave him fits, as he posted a .319 OBP and struck out more than five times as often as he walked. This is a good spot for him, though, as this sort of upside is rare beyond the top 3-4 rounds, and you might argue that because it was his first full, healthy year in college, there could be more growth ahead of him just from getting reps. Right-hander Lucas Kelly (6) was a two-way player in JUCO before transferring to Arizona State this year. He's a true sidearmer who's 95-96 but lacks an average second pitch and got tattooed by lefties this spring for a .556 SLG. Appalachian State right-hander Jackson Steensma (9) missed 2025 after December 2024 Tommy John surgery. He's a big kid, listed at 6-foot-4, 244 pounds, and I think maybe more than that, with a basket of four fringy to average pitches, and threw them all for enough strikes as a sophomore that he would probably have gone in the top 5 rounds had he been healthy. I really like what the Rangers did in the first four rounds, although after that they lost me a little. The Rangers' first rounder, shortstop Gavin Fien (1) could turn out to be the best hitter in the draft class. He was certainly the best prep hitter coming into the year, showing elite contact and hard-hit rates on the showcase circuit, with a beautiful right-handed swing that seemed geared towards line-drive power. He struggled this spring, however, even though the pitching wasn't as good as what he'd mashed against last year. He also had trouble throwing, even with plus arm strength, leading to some concerns about his ability to stay on the dirt. He wouldn't be the first hitter to have a bad senior year and turn out fine — Robbie Grossman comes to mind, as he scuffled badly his draft year and has played over 1,200 games in the majors — and I think he's really going to hit, probably at third base, maybe in right field. Advertisement Tennessee right-hander AJ Russell (2) returned from Tommy John surgery in just eight-and-a-half months and hit 97 in his first game back. The Vols used him cautiously all spring, giving him 25 1/3 innings in controlled outings, and he sat 92-95 with a 55 slider. He has a starter's delivery and the chance for two plus pitches, assuming he can hold up physically and get back to average control. I'd heard that the Rangers were on Josh Owens (3) for a while, and he only helped himself by going to the wood-bat Appalachian League and hitting .271/.419/.492 there as one of the youngest players in the circuit. The Tennessee high schooler is a plus runner with a sound swing, projecting to at least average power, and gets praised for his instincts and overall feel for the game. He was prospect No. 101 for me and I may very well have been light on him. Nebraska righty Mason McConnaughey (4) was all right, all right, all right in 2024 for the Huskers, but blew out his elbow after three starts this spring, undergoing Tommy John surgery. He has a good delivery and above-average control of a three-pitch mix, with a 45 fastball but a slider and changeup that might be 55s. TCU lefty Ben Abeldt (5) also tore his UCL and had Tommy John, his coming before the 2025 season began. In this case, I'm not surprised he got hurt — he comes so far across his body, the ball passes through three time zones before it sees the plate. He was up to 98, pitching more at 92-94, and didn't have an average second pitch, occasionally throwing a long, sweepy slider. Illinois high school third baseman/shortstop Jack Wheeler (6) turned 19 just before the draft, and is a very projectable right-handed hitter who sets up with a really wide stance, taking just a tiny step as his stride. He has some pull power with good loft in his swing, posting excellent contact rates at a few showcases against mediocre pitching. He's committed to Illinois. Outfielder Paxton Kling (7) was unsignable out of high school because of his commitment to LSU — he wouldn't even talk to scouts, which I respect because he was transparent about his intentions — but didn't perform at all in two years for the Tigers and went undrafted in 2024, so he transferred home to Penn State and, voila, hit .358/.470/.632. Was he just underutilized in Baton Rouge, or is that the difference between SEC pitching and Big Ten pitching? He has at least 55 power and can handle center field, but even this spring he swung and missed way too often — 29 percent overall, 21 percent on pitches in the zone — to project even a 45 hit tool. The pick is fine for this spot; my point is more about the gap between the SEC/ACC and everybody else than anything about Kling himself. Duke lefty Owen Proksch (9) moved to the rotation this year and struggled almost across the board, with command, control and no ability to get lefties out. He's got a lower slot and gives hitters a long look at the ball; his changeup is his best pitch, and his slider might be a 40. He seems like a candidate for an overhaul in delivery and pitch design. (Top photos: Kade Anderson: Aaron E. Martinez /American-Statesman / USA Today Network via Imagn Images; Jamie Arnold: Abigail Dollins/ Statesman Journal / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
