Houston Astros Willing To Trade Jason Castro?

The Houston Astros acquired catcher Hank Conger from the Los Angeles Angels last week, leading to speculation that the team’s current catcher, Jason Castro, could be on the trading block.

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The Houston Astros have a few decent catchers, and picked up another one this week when they traded two minor leaguers to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for Hank Conger. He hasn’t set MLB on fire with his bat by any means, but the Astros value Conger’s pitch-framing ability, and the acquisition of a catcher that’s similar to incumbent Jason Castro, yet cheaper and regarded as a better defender, leading to speculation that Castro could be dealt this offseason to address other needs.

Castro was disappointing in 2014 after what seemed to be a breakout season in 2013; he was still valuable on defense, considered an above-average pitch-framer, but his offense took a sharp decline. His on base percentage dropped from .350 in 2013 to an awful .286 in 2014. He still hit 14 home runs, but scored 20 fewer total runs than in 2013, and struck out at a higher rate (29.5 percent strikeout rate).

Castro isn’t expensive himself — MLB Trade Rumors suggests he could get approximately $3.9 million in arbitration this winter, a reasonable salary for a decent starting catcher, even if he’s not an offensive threat anymore. Trading Castro could allow the Astros to address other needs of the club while being able to deal from a position of strength — and a weak free agent market for catchers.

The Houston Astros acquired catcher Hank Conger from the Los Angeles Angels last week, leading to speculation that the team’s current catcher, Jason Castro, could be on the trading block.

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