Baseball Winter Meetings : Dodgers Hang Onto Prospect Castillo, So Backman Slips Away

Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda did not hide his dismay upon learning that the New York Mets had traded second baseman Wally Backman to the Minnesota Twins Wednesday afternoon.

“That’s the guy I wanted,” said Lasorda, who sat among reporters during the news conference announcing the Backman deal.

And the Dodgers could have had him, too, if they had been willing to part with Braulio Castillo, a 20-year-old outfielder who played in Class A last season. Instead, Fred Claire, the club’s executive vice president, may return home today without a replacement for Steve Sax, although negotiations with free agent Willie Randolph continued.

The Dodgers had offered the Mets left-handed reliever Ricky Horton plus a choice of at least two dozen prospects, according to Claire. But sources said the Mets asked for Castillo, a native of the Dominican Republic who was signed as a 17-year-old by Dodger scout Ralph Avila.

Castillo was one of five prospects not on the 40-player major league roster whom the Dodgers told the Mets they would not part with. So the Mets instead sent Backman and minor league left-hander Mike Santiago to the Twins for three minor league pitching prospects, all right-handers: Jeff Bumgarner, Steve Gasser and Toby Nivens.

Neither Claire nor Joe McIlvaine, the Mets’ vice president of baseball operations, would confirm that Castillo was the player involved. But when asked about Castillo, a 6-foot, 155-pounder who bats from the right side, Claire said:

“He is an outstanding prospect. He has great bat speed, a tremendous amount of all-around abilities. You can’t give away these kind of players.”

Castillo hit .281 with 8 home runs and 16 stolen bases in 73 games with Salem (Ore.) in the Northwest League and was named to the league’s all-star team.

“We’re not going to mortgage our future to fill that position (second base),” Claire said.

However, the Dodgers acknowledged that Backman would have fit in nicely for the present.

Backman, 29, who platooned with Tim Teufel last season, hit .303 in 99 games for the Mets. He told friends he would have loved to play for the Dodgers.

The Mets could afford to lose him. They have Keith Miller, a minor league second baseman who is ready to step up. And, if he falters, Gregg Jefferies, the rookie infielder who made a stunning debut in the last month of the season, could be moved to second.

“It was an accident we beat you in the playoffs,” Lasorda told McIlvaine, tongue in cheek. “You don’t have to take it out on us now.”

The Mets have a history of stockpiling pitchers. Last year, they acquired seven minor league pitchers in four trades. And although none of the three pitchers they acquired Wednesday had good numbers at double-A Orlando (Fla.), Bumgarner is a former No. 1 draft choice, Gasser was a No. 2 pick and Nivens was a No. 1 pick in the secondary phase of the draft.

The Mets noted that the Twins had fired Orlando’s pitching coach after the season.

Claire said he had talked again Wednesday with Ron Shapiro, Randolph’s agent, but still had not made an offer. He also said that Randolph did not appear to be in any hurry to choose among the teams bidding for his services.

Oakland had appeared to be a chief rival, but Sandy Alderson, A’s vice president, said it was becoming increasingly unlikely that Oakland would sign him.

Alderson said he was waiting for a proposal from Randolph after apparently talking in general terms about what the A’s would be willing to give him.

“I’d say it looks pretty good for Glenn Hubbard,” Alderson said, referring to the A’s second baseman last season.

The Chicago White Sox, then, would seem to be the Dodgers’ No. 1 rival for Randolph. And that’s assuming that the Dodgers would be willing to give Randolph, who is 34 and coming off arthroscopic knee surgery, the 2-year guaranteed contract he reportedly is seeking. Randolph was paid $875,000 by the Yankees last season.

Claire again said that he would be willing to start the season with Mariano Duncan at second base.

“I’ll take that team and play ball,” Claire said. “It’s an outstanding ballclub.”

Dodger Notes

The Dodgers promoted three minor league managers, including Kevin Kennedy, 34, who takes over their top farm team at triple-A Albuquerque. John Shoemaker, who managed the Dodgers’ Vero Beach team in the Florida State League, took Kennedy’s spot with double-A San Antonio. And Joe Alvarez, who managed the Sarasota Dodgers in the Gulf Coast League, advanced to Vero Beach. . . . Fred Claire, asked if a minority hiring had been considered for the triple-A vacancy, said that it had been a consideration. Among the candidates interviewed, he said, was former Dodger Davey Lopes. But, as with the major league managing jobs filled this year, a minority was not hired. . . . The Dodgers signed Mario Soto to a non-guaranteed contract with Albuquerque. Soto, released by the Cincinnati Reds last June 16 and signed by the Dodgers as a free agent 11 days later, did not pitch for the Dodgers last season while attempting to recover from an inflamed right shoulder. Soto has yet to throw in a game since being shelled in a minor league outing last summer, but he is working out in the Dominican Republic. Claire said that if Soto, 32, is not ready to pitch by the end of spring training, he expects that the right-hander probably will abandon his comeback effort.