The Astros have signed utility man Cavan Biggio to a minor league deal with an invite to big league Spring Training, per a team announcement.
Biggio, 31 in April, would be entering his eighth season as a big leaguer if he makes the Astros’ roster. A fifth-round pick by the Blue Jays in 2016, he turned in impressive performances for Toronto in his first two years with the club, slashing .240/.368/.430 with a wRC+ of 118 and 4.0 fWAR in 159 games between the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Entering the 2021 season, Biggio looked like a building block of the Blue Jays’ next core. He was the team’s everyday second baseman on paper, slotting in alongside fellow up-and-coming hitters Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (on the infield corners) and Bo Bichette (at shortstop).
Unfortunately, that hot start to Biggio’s career has since proved to be unsustainable. While Guerrero and Bichette both went on to find stardom with the Jays, Biggio fell into a utility role with the team. He hit just .219/.327/.351 (93 wRC+) throughout the remainder of his Jays career before being cut loose by the team in June of 2024. That left Biggio to spend the rest of the year bouncing between teams. He appeared in the majors with the Dodgers and Braves through the second half of the season before catching on with the Royals on a minor league deal last offseason. He’s hit just .184/.298/.286 (70 wRC+) with a 29.0% strikeout rate since leaving Toronto, including a lackluster 59 wRC+ in 37 games with Kansas City last year. He was designated for assignment shortly before the trade deadline and finished the 2025 campaign in the Angels’ minor league system, where he hit just .242/.375/.303 even in the inflated offensive environment of the Pacific Coast League.
Difficult as the past two seasons have been for Biggio, there’s still some reason to believe that he can rebound to be a valuable player in a part-time role. Biggio has a career 13.5% walk rate, and it’s never fallen below 10% for a single season. That offers a solid floor of on-base ability that can be difficult to find in bench players; after all, Biggio managed a .296 OBP with the Royals last year despite hitting well below the Mendoza line. He also offers impressive versatility, with lots of experience in all four corners as well as second base. That upside was clearly enough for the Astros to decide to roll the dice on Biggio as a potential bench contributor this year, bringing him into camp and offering him the opportunity to earn a spot on the roster.
Biggio’s odds of actually making the roster are hard to figure out. On the one hand, the Astros haven’t made their desire to get more left-handed a secret, and their recent trade of Jesus Sanchez to the Blue Jays removed one of their few experienced lefty bats from the lineup. On the other hand, Biggio has primarily played the infield throughout his career, and the Astros’ infield mix is already very crowded. Carlos Correa, Jeremy Pena, Jose Altuve, and Christian Walker all figure to play more or less every day around the diamond, which leaves Isaac Paredes (who is also an everyday-caliber player on merit) left to fight for at-bats as it is. Combine that surplus of infield talent with plenty of uncertainty at the infield corners, and Biggio’s best shot at making the roster could be as a part-time corner outfielder, competing with Joey Loperfido and Zach Cole in that role.
Of course, that could change in a hurry if the team’s reported trade talks involving Paredes come to fruition. If more room is created on the bench, Biggio could slot in nicely as a more offensively-oriented complement to Nick Allen on the club’s bench. Brice Matthews and Shay Whitcomb could also compete for bench spots on the infield, in the event that Paredes (or, perhaps, Walker) finds himself traded prior to Opening Day.
I give him all the credit in the world for making to to the majors. It is just a shame considering how good his dad was that he cannot hit worth a rip.
Shame no name drop of his father in the article unless I need glasses now to read. LOL
I was thinking that too. Considering he played his entire career with the Astros. I always liked biggio. Even though I’m a yankees fan I always root for the other italian guys lol
The younger Biggio simply can’t hit.
Gee wonder how this deal happened? Lol
COMPLETELY lost on the writer. I guess “old” age has its rewards and its frustrations. lol
Happy to see him go home (assuming he gets to play for them at some point.) I’ll always root for the guy.
@ bluejays92 I will root for Biggio too play well enough to make the Astro’s team myself when the 3 of them came up from AAA Buffalo I thought they would be the next superstars and follow in their father’s footsteps unfortunately it didn’t happen for Biggio but I still think he can reseract his career if given another chance and if you think about it Toronto could have had 4 sons of HOF father’s on the team because Toronto also had Wil Wagner on the team and his father became a HOF just last year but by then Biggio had already been DFA’ed btw I’m the biggest Bluejays fan of All time when they came into the league in 1977 before that I was a fan of the big red machine but that’s another story for another time go Bluejays
Storyline writes itself.
He’ll get the big ovations in spring games.
A BIGGIO IS IN HOUSTON AGAIN !
…playing for Sugar Land
But if he does make the team, a lot of lifelong Astros fans can recycle their Biggio jerseys that have been collecting dust.
I’m still trying to get his T-shirt ( Cavan’s ) when he was with the Bluejays without much success because I have Vlad Bichette Alomar Stroman Halladay Bautista and the Bluejays logo I also want to get Yesavage T-shirt one day what number jersey was Craig Biggio wearing in his playing days I think it was #7 I know Cavan wore #8 when he played for Toronto
Yes, Craig wore #7 & it’s retired in Houston.
Just draw an “8” (or whichever number Cavan decides on) and tape over it.
He’s 31!??!?!?!
Yeah, not exactly same age as Bo or Vlad Jr. and man I feel even older now than I did moments ago.
It’s not that hard, now repeat after me Cav, Exact change only, please”
just wait til you look in the mirror after 45 or so, and you’ll be like where did the last 20 years go??? lol
His dad began his career when I was really into baseball cards. Didn’t keep that up past 1999 and really had no clue his dad and Bagwell were putting together future HOF career during my active years as a card collector. Heck, I still have to pinch myself sometimes that some of my favorite players from back then are in HOF or have a son that could someday be in the HOF nowadays.
Same here. Though many will say the “junk wax” era killed card collecting it was a fun time to be a collector
I’ve just begun seeing “junk wax” videos on YouTube this year. Never knew the era of cards had a nickname.
It was a fun era to collect. Fleer, Topps, Donruss, Upper Deck, Score. Fleer was my favorite (i put together the most full sets of those) but bought packs of from all of them
Zero risk signing for a potentially useful role player who has added sentimental value to the organization, what’s not to like?
He should play overseas. Get everyday at bats.
Maybe he’s not as successful as his Pops because his helmet is plastered with 95% pinetar. You could barely see the Astros logo. I do hope he succeeds though.
Isn’t* didn’t realize I made a mistake til meow. Caven needs to cover his helmet in pinetar. Better yet he should start wearing his father’s old helmets
Be a cool story if the kid makes the team. Hope he goes yard in front of his dad, wearing the same uni he grew up watching him wear.
How young is this writer that he doesn’t know who Craig Biggio is?
Who’s Craig, his dealer?
I dunno. But he obviously doesn’t know the Astros well. All Astro fans (even 5 year olds) know who Biggio is.
Probably the age of most writers on the internet, 18-24. I see so much that makes me shake my head. lol
I don’t think most writers are 18-24. They are probably in college and very busy or ruining their lives. There are a few exceptions, but I highly doubt most writers are 18-24.
This guy has been too passive at the plate. Too many looking strikeout when the pitch was at the middle of the plate.
The prodigal son finally returns
I love this signing. Good move.
My gosh, isn’t there anyone among you who could act as an editor? Spell Check alone just isn’t cutting it…
between that and not knowing who his dad is, I’m guessing this was a volunteer writing gig?
Nepo baby
Roger Clemens son can hit.
I don’t understand why the Astros Sign him to Minor League Contract it should been Major League Contract. because they Allow Cam to be on a Major league Contract he should been down at Minors until he was ready.
Breaking news: scientists have proven hitting is not genetic lol
There is zero need for two commas around “perhaps” in “or, perhaps, Walker.” And “difficult as the past two seasons have been for Biggio” is NOT grammatically correct. You can’t just leave “as” out to begin the sentence—it isn’t optional. Proper English is necessary when you’re being paid to write.