TODAY: The contract breaks down as a $2MM signing bonus, then $2.5MM salaries in both 2021 and 2022, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports (Twitter link). For every 10 games played as a catcher next season, Castro will add another $250K to his 2022 salary.
JAN. 22: The Astros have announced the signing.
JAN. 21, 8:42am: USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets that the contract will guarantee Castro a total of $7MM. Castro can earn up to an additional $2MM based on time spent behind the plate in 2021, tweets ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
8:25am: Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports that Castro’s contract is actually a two-year deal.
8:01am: The Astros have agreed to a one-year contract with free-agent backstop Jason Castro, Ken Rosenthal and Jake Kaplan of The Athletic report (via Twitter). The ISE Baseball client’s contract is pending a physical.
The two sides were originally reported to be in talks late in December, but those negotiations slowed as Castro continued to survey the market. Along the way, the Cubs and the Tigers (managed by Castro’s former skipper, A.J. Hinch) emerged as potential alternatives. Now, however, a physical is all that stands in the way between Castro and a return to the organization that originally selected him with the No. 10 overall draft pick out of Stanford back in 2008.
Castro, 33, has been away from the Astros for four seasons — most of that time spent with the Twins organization. Minnesota signed Castro to a three-year, $24.5MM contract after the 2017 season due largely to his superlative pitch-framing skills and his knack for drawing walks at the plate. He had a solid 2017 season as the Twins’ primary backstop but missed nearly all of the 2018 campaign due to meniscus surgery. He returned in 2019 to have another productive year while splitting time evenly with breakout catcher Mitch Garver.
That strong showing from Garver in ’19 likely convinced the Twins they could move on, and Castro landed in Anaheim on a one-year deal with the Angels. He struggled at the plate in a tiny sample of 92 plate appearances between the Angels and the Padres, who acquired him prior to the Aug. 31 trade deadline this past summer.
All in all, Castro has batted .224/.322/.389 in 848 plate appearances since leaving the Astros — numbers that fall roughly in line with his career .230/.312/.390 batting line. He’s unlikely to ever hit for a high average due to his strikeout tendencies, but Castro has a career 10.1 percent walk rate (11.7 percent over the past four years) and has a bit of pop in his bat (.164 ISO, 26 homers, 43 doubles from 2017-20).
Defensive aptitude has been the driving factor behind Castro’s value in the market, though he’s been closer to average with the glove as he’s moved into his mid-30s and had to deal with the effects of that 2018 knee surgery. Castro has been just about average in terms of throwing out base thieves in the four years since leaving Houston, but his framing numbers have dropped off a bit, more recently, he’s struggled with regard to blocking pitches in the dirt. Of course, it’s also possible that as he further distances himself from that knee operation, he’ll regain some of his prior form.
In his return to Houston, Castro figures to pair with the right-handed-hitting Martin Maldonado behind the dish, giving manager Dusty Baker the opportunity to play matchups with a pair of solid defenders. Kaplan tweets that a straight platoon isn’t likely — Maldonado will start more often — although at least from an offensive standpoint, such an idea wouldn’t be a bad one. Castro is a career .195/.262/.291 hitter against lefties but a much-improved .242/.328/.421 hitter against righties. Maldonado, meanwhile, carries a 33-point gap in his OPS against lefties over righties (and a nine-point gap in his wRC+). He’s just a .213/.288/.353 career hitter against righties.
Houston may not generate huge offensive output from its pair of backstops. That’s true of most clubs throughout the league, however, and most pairings don’t have the sound defensive track records that both Castro and Maldonado possess. Besides — catchers, on the whole, have been about 10 to 15 percent worse than a league-average hitter over the past four years, so the ’Stros can certainly live with the level of offense provided by Castro and Maldonado if both play defense at their typically steady levels.
Very important move by Click and the organization given the young arms we will send to the mound and Maldonado can’t catch all 162.
Says more about Stubbs than anything, they must really have not believed in his ability to be a MLB catcher. I don’t see the Stros carrying 3 catchers, I expect him to be designated soon.
Agree. Stubbs isn’t ready and we need roster space. He or Taylor Jones are about to be cut loose. Stubbs has speed and given the chance might be better average wise with the bat than Maldonado or Castro, but he is miles from them defensively. He’s very “noisy” behind the plate.
I doubt either Stubbs or Jones is DFA’d yet. It’s probably someone like Cionel Perez, Nivaldo Rodriguez, Humberto Castellanos, or Brandon Bielak. If Castro or Maldonado get injured they’ll need Stubbs in AAA to call up to replace him. Taylor Jones still has options and has some upside with his high exit velo.
Yeah probably right, though I doubt they DFA Bielak. He had some good enough outings early last year to show some promise.
I think stubbs just gets optioned, as well as others. We will have to clear up at least 3 roster spots at this moment to give room to Brantley, Castro and our eventual CF signing
To me, it makes sense to trade high on a few of the young arms (Scrubb) and package them to a rebuilding team for a CF or more Bullpen/rotation help
I like this as a life-long astros fan. Haven’t seen Castro in a hot minute, but should be a good fit to rest Maldonado on some days where a righty is pitching maybe a 50/50 split or something close to 60/40. Now I wonder if they’ll bring back another former stro like Marisnick or Gonzalez. I like familiar faces myself, and I need all of them to soothe the loss of Springer
With Michael in left & Kyle in right… they should bring back Jake to man centerfield
We have less than about $10M to spend now before hitting the cap. I know Jake will be cheap ($1-2M probably) but he isn’t enough of an upgrade over Straw to justify signing him. Better to spend the money on a cheap back end starter like Tijuan Walker than Marisnick. I like Jake, but Straw can do the same job as Jake for cheaper. Time to let him play and allocate that money elsewhere.
Both are fast is as far as the comparison can go, It is not even close as Jake is a far superior defender and at least has more power than Straw as both are not good hitters for average.
What cap? Baseball doesn’t have one
I thought we had $32 m before Brantley, $16 m before Castro, wouldn’t that leave like $12 m or is my memory off a bit (it could be)
Completely agree. Love the move. Would also be great if Marwin came back as a bench bat. Marisnick would be an ok option at CF if he’s healthy although I’d rather have JBJ as a starter. Also, lets bring back McHugh while we’re at it.
I’m hoping it’s an 85/15 split as Castro can’t hit his way out of a paper bag.
He has a career 105 wRC+ against RHP, which is when he’ll be getting his starts.
Springer’s contract will hurt the jays in years 4,5&6 dude plays to hard to age well and at $25MM a season at the time when their young guys will be getting big bucks it will be an albatross.
Springer is going to be a DH by that 4th year and the Jays will be fine bud.
Well Tiger fans.. it wasn’t to be.
Can someone explain to me how a catcher like Jamie Ritchie has yet to see the light of day in MLB? But, Grayson Greiner still is slotted in the #1, after 3 seasons in DET.
Ryan Casteel is another one… what am I missing?
But the good news, Bob, is that the Tigers #3 catching slot is available for you. With #s 1 and 2, you have a good chance at being promoted. Pretty sobering, eh?
Sobering? More like somber..ing.
Those catchers are not on the Tigers. Simple answer. Tyler Flowers is up next.
I’m not giving up on Rogers just yet.
And who knows, maybe Dingler is closer than projected?
Wilson Ramos is another one I’m still holding out hope for.
If available, I wouldn’t mind the Tigs making a trade for Garrett Stubbs.
The Tigers could still bring back Romine
Yikes, please not again!
Unfortunately a more likely scenario is Al bringing his son back for the third time.
Bummer, but don’t blame him for wanting to go to the Astros over the Tigers. Astros will compete for a playoff spot this year, the Tigers will not.
Stros have two rlly good defensive catchers
Meh signing. I don’t care about the sentimental aspect of signing former players. I didn’t expect them to go for Realmuto and there was no other catcher that stood out valuewise to me (McCann was an overpay). While I don’t like his offensive game, I see JBJ as the next viable step for the outfield given the market and shallow prospect pool to trade for a good center fielder. I’m concerned the lineup is going to be too top heavy though and the pitching remains to big of a question mark. They aren’t contenders yet and don’t seem likely to pull off any more major signings.
Assuming Alvarez and Brantley are healthy and can stay that way, we have a good enough batting order to contend with anyone. Weakest spot will be Maldonado and Straw in the 8-9 hole. Most teams would love to go 7 deep in their order with quality players. And I like the idea of giving Straw everyday AB’s at this level. Time to see what he can do.
I know he hasn’t gotten starter abs, but I think we already know what straw can do. He still has some developmental potential defensively, but at the plate, he’ll always be well below par. He’s Jake without the arm and elite defensive instincts. Better base runner. Will be lucky if he gets on base at a .300 clip.
Maybe I’m pessimistic, but I don’t expect Gurriel to carry as much offensively. Not am I comfortable predicting Alvarez after the year off. My biggest concern is that the astros will need to rely on their offense to offset their lack of pitching. I’d feel more comfortable with the teams fortunes if they didn’t have 2 nearly automatic outs at the bottom of the order.
Lack of pitching? They have Greinke, Valdez, Urquidy, Mccullers and Javier. In the pen they have pitchers with good stuff and can be good. Maybe of they add a solidy closer like Colome. Bullpen is “meh” rotation is solid
Do you even pay attention to the astros bro? Framber, mccullers, urquidy, greinke, javier is a terrific rotation for the easily winnable al west. Not to mention a fingers crossed rededicated forest whitley. The astros are no longer juggernauts but they will contend
Dont sleep on enoli paredes. Dude could be our closer this year if they want pressley setting up. Paredes stuff is filthy
@The_Porcupine Maldonado has an OPS+ of 100 the past two seasons and an OPS over 1.100 with RISP last year. You could do much, much worse for a defensive catcher batting 9th in a stacked lineup.
It rhymes
Castro the Astro. Pretty fitting.
Wanted him for Tampa Bay.
Good move lifts the load off of Maldonado a bit. He was a good catcher with the Astros in 2013. 18 HR’s 56 RBI’s All-Star Catcher, he will be some good depth.
What ever happened to extreme Cubs guy? Was he banned from here or something? He keeps posting on the basketball forum and everyone simply ignores him there. It’s just sad, I feel sorry for him.
Castro’s agent deserves strong consideration for the Baseball Hall of Fame.
$7-9M guaranteed for a negative-value player. Kudos to his agent.
In every season of his career that he has played a minimum of 100 games he has provided at least 2 WAR. That is not negative value.
Good luck to Castro playing 100 games. He’s finished as a starter. Doesn’t improve the club. Just like the Angels last year. WAR provides zero insight to his fading contributions.
He doesn’t need to play 100 games. He provides value on a per start basis.
Great. Except you brought up the 100 games. Which then obliterates your first point.
Castro is also no longer an elite defender and his bat, to be kind, is not his calling card. It doesn’t matter what he did five years ago, or even three years ago. He’s entering his age-34 season with no bat and defensive skills now bordering on average. Their catching duo are both in their mid-30s and past their peak glove wise.
War is a voodoo stat. Catcher is a wasteland. This is an easy plus signing for a veteran defensive catcher. Most teams starters are atrocious. This guy as your backup is house money. Teams need to stop drafting catchers high. Its a position kids are taught not to play anymore. Its a thankless job and you get beat up a ton
Not sure who you’be been talking to but they are not your friend, Astros.
Everyone by now should know the catching position has been made easier to play than it was a couple decades ago. Better equipment, better protection on the body, knee savers. And, catchers are better protected by the current rules of baseball. Nowadays catching is a better position to play than it was 20 years ago. Even 10 years ago.
Good teams prep many players to catch. The good coaches know they need many to be ready to play.
You must be high. The yadier molinas are unicorns. Buster posey was done after 5 years. Same with mauer. Catching is harder on the body now than it ever was in history. Every reliever throws 98 and foul tips concuss guys for weeks on end. Francisco cervelli would tell u ure insane. Every game theres a 5 min pause for a catcher or an ump to collect himself.
No self respecting catcher uses knee savers.
You must not be a baseball viewer. Incorrect on Posey. Nothing has changed on concussions except the reporting on it. Umps have given catchers time to collect themselves since the beginning of time. Time is something you should take to watch some older games. Catchers have it better now than ever. Clean sober, by the way, that makes one of us.
“No self respecting catcher uses knee savers”
Agreed.
Its not just concussions. The velocity in mlb today hasnt been seen in baseball’s 150 year history. Every catcher is bruised and battered all over their body. Reliever use has changed the game. Posey debuted at 23 and was great until about 28-29. Hes completely washed up now despite seeing first base for several years now. If the orioles were smart theyd move ruschman to first
Equipment enhancement has catered to velocity change. Don’t use that excuse for Posey. Buster was in an improper position when he was knocked out of his season way back when. Do not kid yourself, catchers and the added protection(s) given to them has helped make the position easier to play.
Ignorantly put, you stated incorrectly kids aren’t taught to play the position anymore. Proving you do not have a clue.
Castro the Astro. What other player can say his surname rhymes with his team’s name?
Lee Rogers of the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Robbie Ray and the Blue Jays
Might trade Stubbs to the Cubs.
Anthony Kay, Blue Jays
Giants should get Bryant!
Not the same, but close…
92 Braves had 2 Daves
As an Astros fan, it is a solid value signing. I never really liked Castro. He’s always been good enough defensively, but man did he love to argue with the umpire after he got called out on an obvious strike at the plate. Now, I’m sure a vet like him probably has good enough relationships with all the umpires in the league to do that, but as a fan, it just bugged the crap out of me logically.
I also feel bad for Stubbs. He’s a great guy, and a real old school kind of ball player who does a little of everything. He’s also someone who truly appreciates where he is. He always stayed later than everyone else to sign autographs at Round Rock games. I’m sure we’ll hold on to him for insurance; I can’t really imagine anyone breaking down the door to trade for him.
Tigers, please.
If we still had Luhnow, I’d say go for it and wait for the rookie ball picture y’all send us to blossom into a top tier prospect. Interested to see how Click does with those under the radar trades.
Click is a rays guy. Hes going to rebuild the farm while making us remain competitive through shrewd cost effective moves. As an astros fan my interest is what they do with correa. Losing cole springer and correa in 3 consecutive offseasons seems ludicrous. This team still has a ton of talent.
Idk, they might want to wait before extending. The SS market looks like a flood next year.
Lidbangers are grasping at straws.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Astros make it to the World Series this year with that lineup that they still have even if the pitching isn’t as elite as before
Tigers inch closer to Alex Avila. I dont mind. Dingler and Rogers are the future. Or Dingler and this years draft pick.
I would be okay with him retiring as a Tiger. I always liked Alex. When he’s on, he’s on.
But, when he’s off.. it’s like LZ’s- fool in the rain. So sad, and yet so awesome.
He’s always been good to the fans and seemed to have a good club presence
I never thought I’d see the day when Maldy was considered the better offensive option.
No offense as I liked him when he was with Milwaukee.
He stinks ….
Inputs better than article
Rhino
Puhl
Astros2017champs
Good posts
What move is next? We need a closer, center fielder, and a #3 or #4 starter. Get Hand, Bradley, and an innings eater, but can we afford that? Might be tough.
This seemed like a logic move, and I’m glad it happened. Now, the Astros have two solid starter capable catchers for a combined $6M.
I’d still like to see a starting pitcher and another RP. I think there’s cheap value to be had.
Can Straw and Ronnie Dawson hold down CF? I don’t know. But, if JBJ is too expensive, I would like to see the Astros grab Puig. He should be cheap and would be a great 4th outfielder.
I don’t want to extend Correa. He’s great, but I don’t want that contract.
His best days are obviously behind him but still a good signing.
“The contract breaks down as a $2MM signing bonus, then $2.5MM salaries in both 2021 and 2022, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports (Twitter link). For every 10 games played as a catcher next season, Castro will add another $250K to his 2022 salary..”
I hope that this aspect is clearly defined and understood by BOTH parties.
As shown here there is much room for interpretation and definition.
What level of play constitutes a game played?
9 innings =1 game.
10 games = 90 innings?
Use as a Pinch Hitter = 1/3 of an inning, or 1 inning, or 1 game?
Pulled for a Pinch Hitter = 1 game or # of offensive innings or # of defensive innings.?
Seems like this is ripe with opportunity for Castro to get the short end…..
If the wording is games played, then the standard fielding stats count partial game as a game played. Pinch hit or DH/1B appearance would not count.
2019 he had 79 GP, and 78 G at C with 72 as starts, and 61 as complete games.
2016 he had 113 GP, and 111 G at C with 3 G at 1B.
Could squeeze some slight positive value out of the guy with about 60 games played.