Mets Say Goodbye to Ramon Castro

The Mets rewarded the rookie after all. New York dealt catcher Ramon Castro and cash to the White Sox in exchange for pitcher Lance Broadway, opting instead to keep surprising 28-year-old Omir Santos in the bigs.

Santos wasted no time Friday night assuring the Mets they made the right choice, hitting a game-winning RBI single in the 11th inning to give New York a 2-1 win over the Marlins.

Santos, a former Yankees prospect, has totaled three homers and 17 RBI in 76 at-bats since his call-up. He's also batting over .330 with runners in scoring position and has hit safely in 16 of his 20 starts.

"On a night like tonight, when Omir Santos plays the way he has, it makes the decision easy for us," said GM Omar Minaya, who admitted he's been taken aback by Santos' rapid progress.

In a season where fans have dogged the Mets about their lack of moves, this was a no-brainer considering how big of a spark plug Santos has been for this team lately. Castro is owed $1,748,634 of his $2.5 million salary, and the White Sox should be receiving at least $1.4 million.

With the White Sox, at least Castro will be able to get into the starting mix since A.J. Pierzynski isn't exactly tearing the cover off the ball. At age 33, he's still a solid defensive catcher as well.

Broadway, Chicago's first-round draft pick in 2005, was 0-1 with a 5.06 ERA in eight games with the White Sox this season. Minaya said the right-hander will be sent to Triple-A Buffalo and work as a starter.