The Mets have traded outfielder Lastings Milledge to the Nationals for catcher Brian Schneider and outfielder Ryan Church. Schneider will likely bump Johnny Estrada off of the roster despite not being nearly the hitter he is. The 31-year old lefty swinging Schneider played in 129 games last season for the Nationals and he was 96 for 408 (.235 avg, .662 OPS) with 33 runs scored, 6 homers and 54 RBIs. Schneider has now played in 757 games in his major league career and he is 586 for 2,321 (.252 avg, .700 OPS) with 206 runs scored, 47 homers and 294 RBIs. 29-year old lefty swinging Ryan Church will likely get a lot of playing time in right field for the Mets next season. He played in 144 games for the Nationals last season and he was 128 for 470 (.272 avg, .813 OPS) with 57 runs scored, 15 homers and 70 RBIs. Church has now played in 347 games in his major league career and he is 270 for 997 (.271 avg, .810 OPS) with 126 runs scored, 35 homers, 153 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. This trade just shows how badly the Mets wanted to get rid of Lastings Milledge who has a ton of potential.

The Mets have taken a flier on righty reliever Brian Stokes from the Rays as it only cost them some cash. Stokes hasn’t gotten any results for the Rays but he has a great arm and the Mets think they can get something out of him. The 28-year old righty pitched in 59 games last season for the Rays and he was 2-7 with a 7.07 ERA and a 1.84 WHIP. Stokes has now pitched in 64 games (4 starts) in his major league career and he has a 3-7 record with a 6.46 ERA and a 1.80 WHIP. This was a nice low risk/high reward move by the Mets.

The Mets have acquired catcher Johnny Estrada from the Brewers for Guillermo Mota. 31-year old Estrada is a switch hitter with a good bat. He played in 120 games last season for the Brewers and he was 123 for 442 (.278 avg, .699 OPS) with 40 runs scored, 10 homers and 54 RBIs. It’s likely that Estrada and Castro could be in a strict platoon with Estrada playing against the righties and Castro against the lefties. Estrada has now played in 589 games in his major league career and he is 567 for 2,026 (.280 avg, .726 OPS) with 198 runs scored, 42 homers and 281 RBIs. This was a good trade for the Mets as Mota can be easily replaced in the bullpen.

The Mets have re-signed 2B Luis Castillo to a 4-year, $25 million dollar contract. Castillo played in 50 games last season for the Mets and he was 59 for 199 (.296 avg, .743 OPS) with 37 runs scored, 1 homer, 20 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. Castillo also is a solid defensive 2B as he and Jose Reyes are a great double play combination. Castillo has now played in 1,405 games in his major league career and he is 1,611 for 5,479 (.294 avg, .726 OPS) with 850 runs scored, 24 homers, 358 RBIs and 325 stolen bases. This was a good move for the Mets as Castillo is a really skilled player on both offense and defense.

The Mets have re-signed Ramon Castro to a 2-year, $4.6 million dollar contract and he will likely see more playing time this season. He played in 52 games last season for the Mets and he was 41 for 144 (.285 avg, .887 OPS) with 24 runs scored, 11 homers and 31 RBIs. Castro has been a solid backup in his major league career. He has now played in 398 games in his major league career and he is 221 for 945 (.234 avg, .723 OPS) with 103 runs scored, 41 homers and 137 RBIs.