Baltimore Orioles Sign Catcher Welington Castillo

The Baltimore Orioles have signed former Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Welington Castillo to a one-year deal with a second-year player option.

The Baltimore Orioles have signed 29-year-old former Arizona Diamondbacks catcherWelington Castilloto a one-year deal worth $6M with a second-year player option worth $7M,per Jon Heyman.

It had been reportedduring the winter meetingsthat the Orioles were fans of Castillo and that they were very interested in signing him, however reports had come out recently indicating that Castillowas likely to sign elsewhere.

This move means that current free agentMatt Wietersis all but certain to sign with another major league team, as Castillo will undoubtedly be the starting catcher for the Orioles.

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Castillo is coming off a year in which he batted .264/.322/.423 with 14 HRs, 41 R and 68 RBIs. He finished last season with the 14th highest hard hit rate in baseball at 39.8%, just belowKris Bryantand just ahead ofCorey Seager. In the AL East, one can only hope that that power will translate very well.

Castillo’s plate discipline leaves something to be desired, however, as his strikeout rate was an ugly 26.5% last season. His walk rate is about average, sitting at 7.2% last year and he had an average chase rate of 27.8%.

Castillo is a decent defender, he finished last season third among qualifying catchers in defensive runs saved, but was also third in passed balls. Castillo’s biggest strength is his offense, but he won’t hurt you behind the plate.

What’s interesting about this signing is the fact that,according to Dan Connolly, Castillo and the Orioles hadn’t progressed much in their talks because Castillo had multi-year deals from other teams in the MLB. Then, he turns around and signs a one-year deal with a player option with Baltimore.

Next: Five Best Orioles Home Run Hitters Ever

Regardless, the Baltimore Orioles have a new catcher in Welington Castillo, who will likely hold down the fort until prospectChance Siscois ready to come up. I’d project Castillo to bat sixth next year and finish the season batting .247/.310/.420 with 20 HRs, 37 R, and 65 RBIs.

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