Castillo signed by Phils, but not for reasons you think

The Phillies have signed former Mets second baseman Luis Castillo to a minor league deal.

Oh goodie!

Castillo was terrible last year, batting .235 with an on base percentage of .337.

Not exactly Chase Utley numbers.

On a postivie note, this is a low risk move for the Phillies as the Mets will still be picking up just about all of the $6 million owed to Castillo.

Castillo, a three-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner, will compete for a job on the major league roster.

My thought it that Castillo was brought in for insurance for Placido Polanco, not Chase Utley.

Wilson Valdez is a better defender than Castillo, who has lost a step.  He did an admirable job filling in for Jimmy Rollins last year and in my opinion, remains Utley's replacement.

Polanco, who has already gone down with a hyper-extended elbow, has not played in a game since being injured.

It has been reported that Polanco is fine, but what if he goes down again?

That is where Castillo comes into play.

The Phillies could then move Valdez to third and play Castillo at second.

Either way, the Phillies offense looks a lot less intimidating without Utley, so here's hoping he is back sooner rather than later.