ANAHEIM, CA – MAY 19: Jason Castro #15 of the Houston Astros scores a run past catcher Chris Iannetta #17 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the third inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 19, 2014 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports has the breaking news:
Source: #Twins to sign free-agent catcher Jason Castro.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 22, 2016
Rosenthal would later note that it was a 3 year deal at about 8 million a year, essentially a bargain in this day and age.
Don’t look to Castro to be an offensive dynamo, but look for an immediate improvement from the pitching staff. Castro has a reputation as an excellent pitch framer, which means pitchers tend to get more strikes when Castro is behind the plate, which is something Kurt Suzuki was very bad at. Castro has also been an All Star behind the plate, for whatever that’s worth, as he does have a little bit of pop, hitting 11 home runs last season, despite playing only 113 games.
This is a sign of the thought process of the new Twins front office. Obviously, the pitching needed to be moved, but just as obviously, it would be very difficult to sign a dozen new pitchers. At the expense of batting average in one position, the Twins have invested a little bit of money to improve the staff that is already on hand. Very smart, and very reassuring.
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