Free agent Jason Castro was recently rumored to be holding serious talks with the Astros, but a week has passed without a reported deal. It now seems that a Houston reunion is just one of several possibilities for the veteran backstop.
It remains possible that Castro will sign on for a seventh season with the ’Stros, Robert Murray of Fansided reports on Twitter. But the re-connection “isn’t as certain as once thought,” per the tweet, with other suitors evidently circling.
Even in a slow-moving marketplace, situations can change quickly. The Cubs now have use for a part-time, left-handed-hitting receiver after dealing away Victor Caratini (with more turnover behind the dish still quite possible). And indeed the Chicago organization has “shown interest” in Castro, according to Patrick Mooney of The Athletic.
It isn’t known whether any other clubs are targeting Castro at the moment, though it’s not hard to imagine wider interest. He’s obviously not the top target on the catching market, but is a solid defensive performer who’d theoretically fit in a lot of places as a platoon piece.
While Castro has turned in middling hitting performances in two of the past three seasons, he was limited in both cases to less than a hundred plate appearances (due to injury in 2018 and pandemic in 2020). In his last full campaign, in 2019, Castro turned in a sturdy .232/.332/.435 batting output in 275 plate appearances. He’s a lifetime .242/.328/.421 producer against right-handed pitching.