Here are some rumors going around about the Mets as of November 12, 2009.

The New York Post suggests Omar Minaya has met with Scott Boras to talk about free agent left fielder Matt Holliday. Boras is pushing Teixeira-like salary figures for Holliday. Read the article

The Mets have a lot of needs and left field is where they’ll begin. A big bat in left will go a long way making it easier for the Mets to go with lower priced players at other positions. Holliday’s contract will be big but it would be worth it for the Mets. Other teams may get involved in the bid and drive the price up and the Mets out of the discussion.

SI reports the Mets are interested in free agent pitcher Joel Pineiro.

Pineiro picked the right time to have a decent season after he had some really bad years from ’04-’08. In ’09, Pineiro went 15-12 with a 3.49 ERA. That’s his lowest ERA since 2002 (14-7, 3.24 ERA). The Mets should remain cautious that he can take another nosedive in 2010.

The Mets will be players in the signings of Chone Figgins and Orlando Hudson and are looking to trade Luis Castillo. Read the article

The Mets would love to have either Figgins or Hudson but have nowhere to put them. In order to open second base for one of the two, the Mets would have to find a trading partner for Luis Castillo. Figgins can play anywhere on the field and would be a great addition to the Mets. He’s the type of player that can make things happen and fuel the top of a lineup. The versatile Figgins in Queens would be a great signing by Minaya.

The Mets are involved in discussions of a three team trade that would land them first basemen Lyle Overbay, according to Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal. The deal, which Rosenthal calls a “longshot”, would send first basemen Lyle Overbay to the Mets, Luis Castillo to the Cubs and Milton Bradley to the Blue Jays.

Overbay batted .265 with 16 home runs and 64 RBI in 2009 with the Blue Jays. His best season was 2006 when he hit .312 with 22 home runs and 92 RBI. He is a career .279 hitter.

New York Mets fans, a bitter and depressed bunch, will not want to acknowledge this, but amidst all the injuries and disappointments, there is one player who had a stellar 2009 year, surprising everyone by finishing second on the team in runs, hits, steals, walks and on-base percentage and third in total bases.

Yet that player is frequently thought of as Public Enemy #1: Luis Castillo.

Unlike past whipping boys (Roger Cedeno, Armando Benitez, Carlos Baerga, Roberto Alomar), Castillo really did turn himself around after a dismal year last year. Sure, he’s still a mediocre defensive player and has little pop in his bat and, of course, general manager Omar Minaya made a huge mistake in signing him to the four-year contract, but…. his .387 OBP was his best since 2005 and third best in his career—before a final swoon in the closing days he was hitting .313 on September 22nd, with an OBP of .401, both marks that put Castillo among the league leaders.

Since the Mets are stuck with him next year they should look at those numbers and think about what Castillo’s re-birth could mean to the 2010 Mets. If they’re smart, they’ll revisit an experiment Jerry Manuel tinkered with in spring training– Castillo, properly deployed, could actually solve a host of the Mets’ myraid problems and give fans hope for next season.

The one way he is worth close to the $8 million is as a lead-off hitter, which not only gives the Mets a true table-setter but it frees them to create a Citi Field lineup—one that would feel like the a vastly more talented version of the 1980s St. Louis Cardinals team that won three NL pennants (including one World Series) in five years, while giving the Mets fits.

With Castillo first, the Mets could drop Jose Reyes to third in the batting order. As a #3 hitter, Reyes could flourish like Hanley Ramirez–if he hits 12 homers, 20 triples and 35 doubles but has only a .350 OBP he is far more effective in that spot, and less likely to get frustrated or to frustrate fans, then he is in the lead-off slot.

With Reyes hitting third, Wright clean-up, Beltran 5th and Francoeur sixth, the Mets have a lineup with moderate power but capable of hitting balls in the big gaps at Citi Field. Angel Pagan, whose knack for triples fits perfectly in this new mindset, could play left and bat second or seventh, sharing both spots with doubles expert Daniel Murphy (who put his best numbers up in the #2 and #7 spots).

Think of it this way–if the lead-off hitter is Reyes, a lot of times he can’t maximize Castillo’s OBP since walks won’t advance Reyes and infield hits or little bloops to the outfield won’t drive home a run. Yet if Castillo leads off and reaches base in any of those fashions, he has the speed to score on a double or triple from Murphy, Pagan or Reyes.

Additionally, this new lineup means the Mets would just need to find a right-hander with power to spell Murphy and Pagan against lefties (like Jonny Gomes of the Reds) instead of a full-fledged star (having screwed up and not signed Adam Dunn last year)—that would be much more affordable in the open market or in terms of talent via a trade.

Thus they could devote more money or trade chips to acquiring a genuine #2 starter (like Jon Lackey), which is far and away the team’s biggest need. Astonishingly, all that can flow from acknowledging Castillo’s one real strength and building from there. If the Mets do it and win then maybe Castillo will even take home the 2010 MVP Award.

Stuart Miller is the author of “The 100 Greatest Days in New York Sports” and “Where Have All Our Giants Gone?”. You can visit is website at 100 Greatest Days in New York Sports.