Within minutes of my arrival in the Cincinnati press box today, the Reds announced that they had designated for assignment their longtime backup shortstop, Juan Castro, to clear a roster spot. The club has 10 days to trade, release or outright him, but there could be some interest on the Dodgers’ part. Castro, you may recall, spent nine years in the Dodgers organization, the last five of them constantly shuttling back and forth between Los Angeles and Triple-A Albuquerque. He would NOT be a cure for what ails this offense — he entered the season with a .231 career average and is 0 for 10 in 2008. But he is a gifted utility infielder, a veteran who can play all four position, he is a GREAT guy in the clubhouse, and he would allow the Dodgers to ship Chin-lung Hu back to the minors where he could get regular playing time instead of having him waste away in the majors the way he is now. Of course, this is all pure speculation on my part, When a player is designated, ANYTHING can happen. Even if the Dodgers are interested, there might be 15 other teams interested as well, and for now, the Reds hold all the cards.