Expos agree to deals with Castilla, Guzman

Jim Bowden has drawn second and third blood by agreeing to terms with Cristian Guzman and Vinny Castilla. The contract with Castilla is a two-year $6.2 million deal ($3.1 million per) and the contract with Guzman is a four-year $16.8 million deal ($4.2 million per).

Ok folks, calm down. Vinny Castilla certainly will be 38 next year. No question. He certainly has a .324 career OBP. And he certainly has hit all but 65 of his 303 career homers while he was with the Colorado Rockies. But the upside is that Bowden didn't spend too much on him - $3.1 million a year is cheap these days. And if Castilla can match his 2003 numbers with Atlanta (.277/.310/.461), he will be a league average third baseman.

Guzman, well. He has range. The good news is that Guzman will not afflict any of the author's teams - the White Sox (Chris), the Phillies (Don Money), or the Mets (Dexys). And at 26, he is just entering his prime. Plus, Frank Robinson has shown a knack at convincing his players to take walks. If Frank can get Guzzie to walk 18 more times per year - just 3 walks per month! - he could rise to a .330+ OBP and be fairly acceptable. Work your magic, Frank.