For a guy the Mets couldn’t wait to purge, second baseman Luis Castillo sure is attracting a lot of interest.

At least three clubs are thought to be in on Castillo — the Phillies, Cubs and Marlins. The Orioles also could enter the mix, given their uncertainty over second baseman Brian Roberts, who has yet to appear in a Grapefruit League game due to back trouble.

Given the demand, Castillo figures to sign quickly after clearing waivers Sunday afternoon. Of course, it helps that the Mets will pay virtually all of Castillo’s $6 million salary. Any team that signs him will be responsible only for the $414,000 major-league minimum.

The Phillies’ interest stems from their concern over second baseman Chase Utley’s lingering knee trouble. The Cubs currently plan to go with a platoon of Jeff Baker and Blake DeWitt at second. The Marlins would want Castillo to play at second and Omar Infante at third if they demoted rookie third baseman Matt Dominguez, who is batting .219 this spring, but with a .762 OPS.

Castillo, 35, is a switch-hitter with a .290 lifetime batting average. He had a .387 on-base percentage in 2009, but injuries limited him to fewer than 90 games in both ’08 and ’10.

— Ken Rosenthal

• The Rockies are beginning to look like they might have decent rotation depth — perhaps even enough to trade right-hander Aaron Cook once he is healthy.

Start with right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez, lefty Jorge De La Rosa and righties Jason Hammel and Jhoulys Chacin — a formidable front four.

Right-hander Esmil Rogers also is throwing well, and the Rockies believe that righties John Maine and Greg Reynolds will contribute at some point as well.

OPENING DAY COUNTDOWN

Get the scoop on your favorite teams
and their rivals as the season approaches.

Cook, set to earn $9.25 million this season, began the spring with right shoulder tightness, then suffered a broken right ring finger. He would be difficult to move, but at least the Rockies are in a position in which they do not need to rely on him.

• Talk about a roster crunch. By the end of spring training, the Mariners could bid farewell to five members of their 40-man roster, or 16 percent.

The M’s invited 23 non-roster players to spring training, and at least five stand reasonable chances of making the team — catcher Josh Bard, infielder Adam Kennedy, right-handers Jamey Wright and Chris Ray and one of two outfielders, Ryan Langerhans or Gabe Gross.

The Mariners currently are at the maximum 40. Left-hander Garrett Olson already is on waivers, according to a major-league source.

• Another issue for the M’s: Their bullpen.

“It starts with (Brandon) League,” one scout says. “Try to name the next guy.”

The M’s might need lots of “next guys” if they open with rookie right-hander Michael Pineda and lefty Erik Bedard in their rotation. Neither is likely to work deep into games, at least initially.

• Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers, who spent last season scouting with the Yankees, offers yet another ringing endorsement for the Yanks’ top pitching prospects — and actually likes right-hander Dellin Betances even better than lefty Manny Banuelos.

Betances, 6-foot-8 and 245 pounds, “might be King Felix," Towers says.

Banuelos?

“Teddy Higuera in his prime,” Towers says, “but with a better arm.”

• New Dodgers first base coach Davey Lopes raves about the work ethic of shortstop prospect Dee Gordon, who is the son of former major-league pitcher Tom Gordon.

Lopes says that Gordon is inquisitive about the game and absorbs information like a sponge.

“His dad taught him right,” Lopes says.

• Finally, check out my video interview with the Dodgers’ Andre Ethier, who tells an amusing story about working out last offseason with the Red Sox’s Dustin Pedroia at a rehabilitation center in Gilbert, Ariz.

“He’s into yelling at other patients,” Ethier says. “It’s a public place where anyone comes in to work out. You had some old retirees to young kids battling stuff. He’s in there mixing it up with all of them, asking them what’s going on, challenging them or trying to outdo them in an exercise.

“It was pretty comical for me, and I bet for those patients in there getting a chance to have some little crazy guy yelling at them every day.”

— Ken Rosenthal

Three years ago, Cory Wade was so indispensable to the Los Angeles Dodgers that he appeared in seven of their eight postseason games.

OPENING DAY COUNTDOWN

Get the scoop on your favorite teams
and their rivals as the season approaches.

Now, he’s trying to earn a spot in the Tampa Bay bullpen, which was riddled by offseason departures. He made a strong impression against Florida on Wednesday, allowing one earned run in 2-2/3 innings.

“I was put in a good situation, to come over here and have a fighting chance to make the team,” Wade said. “I’m really grateful.”

Wade hasn’t pitched in the majors since July 2009. He had a 5.40 ERA in 25 appearances with three Dodgers affiliates last year. But at 27, Wade certainly isn’t too old for a career revival, after undergoing right shoulder surgery in March 2010.

“Essentially, even though I pitched the last two months, it was a lost year,” Wade said. “I struggled in July. I pitched really well in August. But everybody kind of told me it was going to take a full year — maybe even a little longer, until May or June (of this season).

“But when I go out, I feel fine. No issues or anything like that. It’s been good.”

The Rays bullpen could remain in flux long after the Opening Day roster is set. Manager Joe Maddon said Wednesday that he plans to use a closer-by-committee approach.

— Jon Paul Morosi

File this one away for July.

Felix Hernandez has a 10-team no-trade clause in his contract with the Seattle Mariners. During this season, the right-hander will be able to block deals to the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies and two unknown teams, a major league source said.

We shouldn’t infer from that list that Hernandez wants to avoid large-market clubs. Rather, astute players (and agents) will often protect against trades to high-revenue teams, because those clubs (a) are most likely to be interested in acquiring expensive players and (b) have the wherewithal to offer financial inducements that encourage players to waive the clauses.

Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik has said Hernandez isn’t available on the trade market. But some in the industry believe that could change if the Mariners start slowly for a second straight year.

Hernandez signed a five-year, $78 million contract extension prior to last season. The deal is actually richer than that, since Hernandez’s 2011 salary jumped from $10 million to $11 million after he won the Cy Young Award last season.

— Jon Paul Morosi

The White Sox are open to trading Mark Teahen rather than making him a high-priced utility man at the four corner positions and DH. Still, Teahen represents insurance for rookie third baseman Brent Morel, an outstanding defender who might not hit right away.

Manager Ozzie Guillen likes Teahen’s left-handed bat and estimates that he could find 350 at-bats for the veteran if Morel wins the starting job at third. The problem: Teahen, who is guaranteed $4.75 million this season and $5.5 million in 2012, would be overpaid as a reserve.

• The two biggest stories in Braves camp are the team’s outstanding pitching and the rejuvenation of third baseman Chipper Jones. General manager Frank Wren, however, also is raving about center fielder Nate McLouth.

OPENING DAY COUNTDOWN

Get the scoop on your favorite teams
and their rivals as the season approaches.

“He’s regained some of the form, some of the mechanics, some of the confidence he had when he was in Pittsburgh,” Wren said. “He’s carrying it to the field every day. He steps to the plate confident that he’s going to make something happen. And when he hits it, he hits it hard.”

• Teams looking for a right-handed hitting outfielder are asking the Red Sox about Juan Carlos Linares, a Cuban defector who signed with the club in 2009 for $750,000. Linares, who hit well in the Arizona Fall League and has carried over his success to the Grapefruit League, is likely to open at Triple-A.

The Red Sox, wary of compromising their depth, are unlikely to move any significant pieces before Opening Day. Linares and Darnell McDonald, for example, could fill the same role as Mike Cameron, but probably not as well. Cameron hits lefties, has power, plays all three outfield positions and — most important — is healthy again.

• A scout following the Dodgers said he does not like what he sees. A number of players are hurt, including third baseman Casey Blake and right-handers Jon Garland and Vicente Padilla. But the issues go beyond injuries.

The offense is the team’s biggest question, but the scout said the pitchers aren’t throwing enough strikes and the defense has been less than stellar. The spring stats bear out the scout’s observations: The Dodgers’ walk rate is the second-highest among NL clubs, and only one NL team has made more errors.

With Jay Gibbons, one half of the left-field platoon, experiencing issues with his left eye, the Dodgers might be better off playing Tony Gwynn Jr. in center and Matt Kemp in left. Meanwhile, closer Jonathan Broxton is topping out at 91 mph and Hong-Chih Kuo is the only quality lefty in the bullpen.

— Ken Rosenthal

The Oakland Athletics would like to add an inexpensive utility infielder as they await the return of Adam Rosales, who is recovering from offseason surgery on his right foot and likely will be out until May.

Chances are, though, the A’s will opt for an internal solution; they’ve been playing third baseman Andy LaRoche at short. The Tigers’ Ramon Santiago would make sense, but even he would be too pricey for the A’s at $1.25 million.

• Yankees rookie catcher Jesus Montero is likely to open the season as the backup to Russell Martin. His bat might tempt the Yankees into expanding his playing time, but a scout says that the Yankees will need to bring Montero along slowly, citing the difficulty all rookie catchers face adapting to the speed of the game in the majors.

STARTLING ROTATIONS

How does the new-look Phillies
staff rank among the best rotations
of all time?

Lefty CC Sabathia is perhaps the only one of the Yankees’ top three starters who is low-maintenance for a catcher. Righty Phil Hughes is still developing as a pitcher, and A.J. Burnett also requires veteran guidance.

• Mariners third baseman Chone Figgins needed a few days to think about it, but he finally came up with a comparison for second-base prospect Dustin Ackley.

“A more athletic Todd Walker,” Figgins said, referring to the former major league second baseman.

Mariners fans might prefer to hear, “Chase Utley,” but Walker finished his career with a .783 OPS. His defense was below average, but his peers greatly respected his offensive talent — and Figgins was talking about Ackley as a hitter.

Ackley, the second overall pick in the 2009 draft, is entering his second full season at second base and likely to start the season at Triple-A.

• For all the talk about how the Phillies could replace Utley, their injured second baseman, the club's utility-infield candidates — Wilson Valdez, Peter Orr, Josh Barfield — are playing well this spring.

None, obviously, is Utley, but sources continue to say that the Phillies cannot take on a big salary. To acquire the Rangers' Michael Young — if Utley were out for a prolonged stretch — the Phils would need Texas to take right-hander Joe Blanton and include cash in the deal. The Rangers are reluctant to make that type of trade.

• The Blue Jays are building impressive pitching depth.

Manager John Farrell told reporters that left-hander Jo-Jo Reyes, who is out of minor-league options, could make the team as a reliever. Righties Jesse Litsch and Kyle Drabek are the favorites for the final two rotation spots, possibly leaving lefty Marc Rzepczynski to start the season at Triple-A.

Right-hander Zach Stewart also will open at Triple-A, and the Jays are excited by the progress of righty Henderson Alvarez, who has touched 97 mph and changed the grip on his slider, creating more tilt. Alvarez likely will open at Double-A.

— Ken Rosenthal

PHOENIX – Commissioner Bud Selig touched on baseball’s labor situation and a variety of other topics during a visit to the press box at the Brewers’ spring-training facility Saturday:

• On his reaction to the NFL lockout: “The 90s were painful for us, really painful. Painful for me, but painful for the sport.

“I sort of replayed in my mind the last few days what happened in ’94. We had this horrendous work-stoppage record. I often said (it was) the worst labor history known to anybody. Strikes in ’72, ’75, ’76, ’80, ’81, ’85, ’90 and ’94.

“They’ve gone through some of that. They’re going to go through it now. You have to go through it to understand really how painful it is. I’m not sure people understand that. People find fault with both sides, the commissioner. When you have substantial differences, this is what happens.”

• On whether the lack of rancor between the owners and players in baseball is a positive sign with the labor agreement set to expire at the end of the season:

“I’m always a devotee of the Yogi Berra school: It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.

“When I think back to my early years in baseball and the public posturing that went on, it turned out it was a pretty accurate barometer of what really happened. Owners ripping owners. Owners ripping the union. The union fighting back. The commissioner is in the middle.

“I’m proud . . . we’ve stopped all that. It helps. It helps to have a constructive dialogue. And that’s what we’re going to try to continue to do.”

• On the details from the police report on Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera:

“One is never happy when they read that. But I want to say — I have to give the Tigers credit. And our own doctors. Our own doctors were there, specialists in that area. They felt they handled it the right way. And I think they did.

“The Tigers have been extremely cooperative. They’re going to give him a lot of help. Somebody will be with him most of the time. Hopefully that will help the situation.”

— Ken Rosenthal

Dodgers right-hander Jon Garland suffered a strained oblique muscle. It figures to sideline him for 32 days. Thanks to off days, however, Garland could still be ready by the time the Dodgers need a fifth starter for the first time -- April 12.

If Garland isn't ready for that April 12 game at San Francisco the leading candidates to fill in for him are John Ely and Tim Redding, a non-roster invitee with extensive big-league experience.

Garland was signed during the off-season to a one-year with an otpin for 2012 in part because of his duirability. He has pitched at least 200 innings in six of the past seven seasons.

Vicente Padilla, who the Dodgers envisioned as their rotation insurance, is already sidelined for at least the first month of the regular season following surgery last month to free a never that was trapped under a muscle in his right forearm.

— Tracy Ringolsby

With Aaron Cook having yet to throw a pitch in a spring game because of right shoulder inflammation, the Rockies are looking for a fill-in for the fifth spot in the rotation.

There is one benefit for the Rockies with their early season schedule. If they want to skip the fifth starter because of off days, they would not need a fifth start for a third time until April 26. Taking advantage of off days, a fifth starter would have to work on April 9 at Pittsburgh and 16 against the Chicago Cubs, and not again until April 26 against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Cook’s shoulder has responded to treatment and he has begun throwing off an incline. Candidates to fill-in for him include Felipe Paulino, Esmil Rogers, Clayton Mortensen, and possibly John Maine, who is coming off surgery but threw two crisp innings in his spring debut on Tuesday.

— Tracy Ringolsby

SURPRISE, Ariz. — Joe Torre, chatting with reporters Wednesday in his new role as MLB’s executive vice-president for baseball operations, displayed the same relaxed manner he did in his daily news conferences as a manager.

Torre touched on a wide variety of topics, offering insights on the pace of game, Michael Young’s situation with the Rangers and MLB’s recent hirings of Dodgers assistant GM Kim Ng, former Diamondbacks assistant GM and Peter Woodfork as senior VPs.

Pace of game is an issue that Torre will now tackle from a different perspective. During his days managing the Yankees, the Yankees and Red Sox received frequent criticism for playing lengthy games.

“I want to look at it,” Torre said. “That’s a dirty job for the umpires. In talking to the managers, that’s certainly something we’ve mentioned.

“As managers — and this only came to me when I was part of the commissioner’s committee (for on-field matters) — we have to do our share. Have the players understand what we’re trying to do. We’re not trying to change guys’ idiosyncracies. But we want to at least make them aware that it’s not a punishment.

“It’s just something we’re trying to work on. It’s a hot button for the commissioner. I don’t think there’s any question about it. It’s a ‘feel’ thing at this time. I’m not trying to avoid the question. It’s more, ‘let’s look at it.’”

As for his new senior VPs, Torre worked with Ng with both the Yankees and Dodgers. He is less familiar with Woodfork, but offered high praise for both.

“She’s very efficient. She’s very bright," Torre said of Ng. "As a manager, I always tried to hire people smarter than I am, because it certainly helps. She has a lot of baseball knowledge. She’s very organized.

“I just met Peter last week. I’m very impressed with his abilities. I think the energy level at MLB is going to be very impressive. These people know what they’re doing.

"Down the road, I’m sure they aspire to be the general manager of a club. This is great for two people who have been on both sides of this thing. They both worked for MLB at one time.”

And finally, Torre mentioned that he personally complimented Michael Young while visiting the Rangers on Wednesday. Young has requested a trade from the Rangers, but has gone about his business professionally this spring.

“I told him I was proud of him. I said that he’s a grownup,” Torre said. “The thing about baseball is that there’s a lot of unpredictability about the game. You have to understand that you’ve got to be ready.

“They say managers change their mind — that’s true. But managers make decisions on what you have available to you on that particular day. If something changes, it’s not like you’re changing your mind, but you have a different set of circumstances to deal with.

“But Michael Young is a throwback for me. He just works hard. You try to tell players, ‘Control the things you can control.’ Leave the other stuff to somebody else. He’s certainly doing that.”

— Ken Rosenthal