Castro Converts (March 26): The trade of Jason Phillips vaulted Ramon Castro into a likely role as Met backup catcher and his uni number went flying too. Castro's status seems solidified by a switch from the non-rosterly 72 to the backup catcherly 11. With a week to go until the bell rings, notable recent cuts include Jae Seo 26, Scott Strickland 28, Jeff Keppinger 6, and Scott Stewart 32.

Kaz-Zam (March 21): The Mets wasted little time replenishing rotation depth following Steve Trachsel's injury, trading for left-handed Dodgers project Kaz Ishii, who arrived in St. Lucie today and summarily put on the No. 23 uniform of the guy he was traded for, Jason Phillips. Ishii's control problems have frustrated Dodger fans for years, and Rick Peterson is certain to have his hands full, but there's no denying Ishii has some ability and when you can get a starting pitcher for a backup catcher you generally do it, so we're on board. We'll certainly miss Phillips' goofy glasses and his line-drive hitting if that happens to come back, but inasmuch as the trade provides him with a chance to play more often in an attempt to erase the disaster of 2004 from his mind, we're all for that too. The Ishii-Phillips trade is the 19th known addition to the all-time Uni-Swap list.

So Long Super Joe (March 17): Joe McEwing was the kinda guy who wore a number to honor a teammate then gave it up to accomodate another. Super, whose run at becoming the 25th man on the roster for the sixth straight year ended today at thirtysomething, wore 47 as a tribute to former St. Louis teammate John Mabry than selflessly cast it aside for No. 11 when Tom Glavine arrived. Joe did it all: He played adequately everywhere he was asked to, got a big hit now and again, drove the fork lift to deliver supplies to 9-11 victims and earned a spot alongside Rod Kanehl, Bob Bailor, Matt Franco and Jeff McKnight on the Mets All-Time Versatile Scrub team. His departure also breaks the oldest Trade Chain in Met history, dating back to All-Versatile predecessor Kevin Mitchell in 1984. Thanks Joe!

We at MBTN also want to wish Steve Trachsel 29 a speedy recovery. Honestly, we've come to admire his boring effectiveness and unspectacular reliability.