The Astros are in settlement with reliever Miguel Castro, as first reported by Jon Heyman of the New York Put up. Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 specifies that it’s a minor league contract with a non-roster Spring Coaching invite. Castro, a shopper of Premier Expertise Sports activities and Leisure, would lock in a $1.5MM base wage if he makes the MLB roster, in line with Alexander.
Castro, who turned 30 final week, is aiming to pitch his approach onto an MLB roster for an eleventh straight 12 months. The well-traveled righty has suited up for six completely different groups. Castro carries a 4.20 earned run common in practically 500 MLB innings. He’d typically posted an ERA within the low-4.00s, together with a 4.31 mark by way of an NL-high 75 appearances for the Diamondbacks in 2023. That triggered a $5MM vesting choice for the ’24 season.
That didn’t work out effectively for Arizona. Shoulder irritation despatched Castro to the injured listing halfway by way of April. He was shelved till the All-Star Break. Castro made 11 appearances and surrendered 9 runs over 13 2/3 innings. Arizona designated him for project simply earlier than the commerce deadline. They launched him at first of August. Castro spent the remainder of the season in free company.
Houston has a skinny reduction group that ought to give Castro an actual probability to earn a roster spot out of camp. Josh Hader, Bryan Abreu and (barring a late-offseason commerce) Ryan Pressly can be on the again finish. Tayler Scott is out of choices and pitched effectively sufficient to lock down a center reduction job. That leaves as many as 4 spots up for grabs. Even when the Astros usher in a veteran on a low-cost MLB deal, Castro may vie with Shawn Dubin, Forrest Whitley and Kaleb Ort for low-leverage work.
