Hot Stove Digest: Jason Castro signs three-year deal with Twins
Welcome to The Stew’s Hot Stove Digest, our daily rundown of MLB news, rumors and gossip for Hot Stove season. Here you’ll find a quick recap of all the day’s action and other fun stuff from around the internet that we think is worth your time.
GET PAID: It pays to be a regarded as a strong defensive catcher. How much? How about $24.5 million over three years? That precisely what the Minnesota Twins paid to secure the services of 29-year-old catcher Jason Castro, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.
Castro has compiled a .215/.291/.369 slash line over his past 343, so he’s not viewed as a strong offensive contributor. Castro is, however, one of the game’s better framers, and that’s significant for Minnesota.
Pitch framing from 2014-2016:
Jason Castro: +39.5 runs
Kurt Suzuki: -35.4 runsCastro helped pitchers a lot. Suzuki hurt pitchers a lot.
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) November 10, 2016
With Castro off the board, that leaves Matt Wieters and Wilson Ramos as the most desirable catchers left on the market. Both players were ranked higher than Castro in Jeff Passan’s free-agent rankings, though Ramos is coming off a knee injury.
GO GET HIM: With Castro off the market, the desire for Wieters should intensify. The Washington Nationals, Baltimore Orioles and Atlanta Braves have all shown interest in the 30-year-old. The Twins also looked into Wieters before settling on the slightly cheaper Castro. [Jon Heyman]
WHO WANTS HIM? The New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros remain the most competitive teams for outfielder Carlos Beltran, though the Rangers remain a threat to re-sign him. The 39-year-old had a productive year at the plate, hitting .295/.337/.513, with 29 home runs, in 593 plate appearances last season. It’s believed he would be looking for a short contract considering his age, and that could make him more desirable to teams hesitant to hand out long-term deals to younger players. [New York Post]
BACK TO THE MINORS: Astros first baseman Jon Singleton, he of the $10 million contract, went unclaimed through waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A on Tuesday. Singleton was placed on waivers Saturday, but was expected to pass through them due to his contract. The 25-year-old has hit just .171 over 420 plate appearances in the majors. [Jake Kaplan]
HE’S BACK: A market is developing for former Toronto Blue Jays/Seattle Mariners outfielder Eric Thames. Thames hasn’t appeared in the majors since since 2012, but has blossomed over in the Korean league. The 29-year-old hit .317/.425/.676, with 40 home runs, for the NC Dinos last year. The Tampa Bay Rays, Oakland Athletics and San Diego Padres have all been mentioned as possible suitors for Thames. [Chris Cotillo]
SIGN HIM UP: The Colorado Rockies are interested in an extension for outfielder Carlos Gonzalez. Gonzalez told Wilmer Reina the team has shown interest in working things out, but indicated talks were in the preliminary stages (original link in Spanish). The 30-year-old is entering the final year of his contract and will make $20 million in 2017. Over the past year, he’s been viewed as a possible trade candidate, but the Rockies could opt to keep him if they believe their timeline for contention is coming as sooner rather than later. [MLB Trade Rumors]
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
