Reds get St. Lucie's Castro, Henry for Conine

CINCINNATI -- Veteran first baseman Jeff Conine is movin' on up to the east side.

Conine was traded from the Reds to the contending Mets on Monday afternoon in exchange for St. Lucie shortstop Jose Castro and outfielder Sean Henry, and he quickly changed places in terms of the playoff hunt.

Castro is ranked second in the Florida State League with a .318 average. The 20-year-old has two homers and 25 RBIs. Henry, 22, is tied for the league with 132 hits while batting .293 with 11 homers and 57 RBIs. Both players will be assigned to Double-A Chattanooga.

Infielder Jorge Cantu was called up from Triple-A Louisville to take Conine's 25-man roster spot.

"First place," Conine said of the Mets. "I get to go back into another pennant race. As a baseball player and athlete, that's what you strive to do, win. I'm definitely going to a winning situation."

Cincinnati is the fifth-place team in the National League Central and idle New York entered Monday leading the NL East by five games. The 41-year-old Conine was informed of the deal by Reds general manager Wayne Krivsky, who talked with him outside of the clubhouse after he arrived.

"I'm really happy to send him to a team like the Mets, a team really in contention," Krivsky said. "He has a chance to get a ring. I can't say enough about what he did for us, on and off the field. He's a consummate pro. I feel privileged I got know him this year and I hope our players feel the same way."

The Reds acquired Conine from the Phillies in December and he batted .265 with six home runs and 32 RBIs in 80 games, including 50 starts this season. Since he was dealt after the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, he had to clear waivers first before a deal with the Mets could be worked out.

No matter how things pan out in New York, this will be Conine's final pennant chase. The veteran of 17 big-league seasons plans to retire.

"I think this is it," said Conine, who was 26 hits shy of 2,000 for his career and a member of two Marlins World Series winning teams. "I can't think of a better way to go out than to do it in the playoffs, in New York."

Cantu arrives: Cantu was scheduled to be in uniform for Monday's series opener vs. the Braves. The 25-year-old was acquired on July 28 from the Devil Rays for pitchers Brian Shackelford and Calvin Medlock.

In 24 games at Louisville, Cantu hit .309 with two homers and 13 RBIs. A former elite player with Tampa Bay, he drove in 117 RBIs in 2005, but has fallen off the radar since. The former second baseman can play multiple infield spots but was used primarily as a right-handed hitting first baseman in Louisville.

"He's been an RBI machine down there. He's really done well," Krivsky said. "The reports from [Louisville skipper] Rick Sweet are outstanding. He's going to get an opportunity and we'll get an extended look at him now that there's room for him on the roster."