The Twins have signed free agent catcher Jason Castro, who played six seasons for the Houston Astros, to a three-year contract.
A major league baseball source confirmed the signing. The contract is for three years and $24.5 million.
Castro, a 6-foot-3, 215-pounder, was an American League All-Star in 2013, when he batted .276 with 18 home runs and 56 RBIs. He has struggled to make contact since then, batting .215 over the next three seasons, including .210 last season.
Castro is considered a strong defensive catcher. He threw out 24 percent of runners attempting to steal bases last season, which is slightly below average but higher than the 19 percent shutdown rate his predecessor, Kurt Suzuki, had in 2016.
Pitch framing is Castro's strength. He had 96 more strikes called last season than expected, according to Baseball Prospectus. Suzuki was minus-38 in the same category. In that regard, Castro is an upgrade. And if there is a position where it's acceptable to sacrifice offense for defense, it's at catcher.
Suzuki spent three seasons with the Twins, making the All-Star team in 2014. He hit .258 with eight home runs and 59 RBIs last season.
The deal is expected to be made official next week, after Castro passes his physical. John Ryan Murphy and Mitch Garver are the only catchers on the Twins' 40-man roster.
Castro, 29, hit 210 with 11 home runs in 113 games for the Astros last season. In 617 major league games, the left-handed hitter has 62 home runs, 212 RBIs and a .232 batting average.
The Astros recently traded for Yankees catcher Brian McCann. The Twins let Suzuki go in free agency.
Castro, a native Californian, was drafted in the first round (10th overall) of the 2008 amateur draft by the Astros out of Stanford and signed a month later. He was called up to the big leagues in 2010, but missed the entire 2011 season after knee surgery to repair an ACL torn during spring training.
