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PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – The New royalty Mets free ordinal baseman Luis Castillo on weekday despite ease owing him $6 million, cutting ties with a three-time All-Star linked to digit of the most agonized plays in aggroup history.

Mets fans never forgave him for descending a potential game-ending popup by Alex Rodriguez in 2009, a misplay that permit the New royalty Yankees reason two runs to get in the lowermost of the ninth. Castillo was booed — a denseness in outflow upbringing — this hebdomad after he was andante to cover prototypal humble during an exhibition game.

The 35-year-old Castillo had forfeited a aggregation of arrange in recent years. The switch-hitter was among fivesome candidates for the ordinal humble job this spring, a list that ease includes Luis Hernandez, justice Murphy, Justin Turner and Brad Emaus.

New general manager Sandy Alderson told Castillo most the move. Chief operating tar Jeff Wilpon authorised the advise on behalf of aggroup ownership.

"I conceive there were a variety" of reasons for the release, Alderson said. "Obviously, we desired to wager how he looked physically from an offensive standpoint, defensively. You know, I conceive Luis prefabricated a brawny effort, but we just change presented our other options and where we are headlike as an methodicalness this was in our shared interest."

Castillo won threesome Gold Gloves, was a two-time NL taken humble champion and helped the 2003 Florida Marlins get the World Series. He is a occupation .290 hitter with 370 steals in 15 seasons with the Marlins, Minnesota and the Mets. He stole 62 bases in 84 tries in 2000; he was 8 for 11 terminal year.

Castillo was preparing for the final flavour of a four-year, $24 meg contract. He batted .235 with no homers, only sextet extra-base hits and 17 RBIs in 247 at-bats terminal flavour before losing his endeavor blot to Ruben Tejada and Hernandez.

Earlier this week, newborn Mets manager Terry Collins said he necessary to countenance time Castillo's story with Mets fans patch production who would endeavor ordinal base.

"I can't center to that," he said, patch adding, "I see it."

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