Orioles, Rays, Braves Among Teams Interested In Welington Castillo
1:17pm: Add the Orioles to the list of teams interested in Castillo, as MASN’s Roch Kubatko tweets. The Orioles could lose Matt Wieters to free agency and have been interested in Castillo for some time, according to Kubatko.
11:03am: The Diamondbacks’ unexpected decision to non-tender Welington Castillo has added a new name to the free agent catching market, and Castillo is already receiving interest. The Rays are “expected to aggressively pursue” Castillo, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times wrote last night. The Rays, who currently have Luke Maile and Curt Casali atop their depth chart at catcher, were already expected to look for catching help, so it’s easy to see why the surprise addition of a .264/.322/.423 hitter and longtime starter to the market would be intriguing for them.
Topkin also tweeted this morning, though, that Castillo was receiving a number of calls, and not just from the Rays. It’s possible one of those teams could be the Braves, who have “some interest,” as David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets. Current Braves backstop Tyler Flowers hit fairly well last year and rates as a good framer, and he and fellow catchers Anthony Recker and Tuffy Gosewisch are all now under contract for 2017. Castillo could certainly still help the Braves, however, and it stands to reason that they’d have interest, since they’ve also shown at least some interest in free agent backstops like Matt Wieters and Jason Castro.
Braves Avoid Arbitration With Tuffy Gosewisch
TODAY: Gosewisch will earn $635K, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag tweets. His contract entitled him to either $625K or $100K over the new league-minimum rate, which has been set at $535K.
YESTERDAY: The Braves have struck a deal to avoid arbitration with catcher Tuffy Gosewisch, according to a team announcement. Terms of the deal were not announced; MLBTR projects him to command a $600K salary.
Atlanta just claimed Gosewisch off waivers from the Diamondbacks, suggesting that the team would look to hammer out a deal with him. It remains unclear just what this means for the team’s backstop mix. Tyler Flowers remains on the books and Anthony Recker is also eligible for arbitration.
Gosewisch, 33, has seen time in each of the last four major league campaigns. He has slashed just .199/.237/.286, with five home runs, but he’s obviously regarded as a trustworthy presence behind the plate. It’s fair to note, too, that Gosewisch hit a robust .342/.399/.553 in his 219 Triple-A plate appearances in 2016.
Braves To Acquire Tuffy Gosewisch
The Braves have acquired catcher Tuffy Gosewisch from the Diamondbacks, the MiLB Roster Tracker Twitter account first reported (Twitter link). Specifically, he was claimed off waivers, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation tweets.
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With the move, Atlanta picks up another depth piece for its catching core. Tyler Flowers currently stands as the top option behind the dish, with Anthony Recker seemingly next in line following a solid 2016 season. Both Recker and Gosewisch are controllable through arbitration, with projected salaries of $1MM and $600, respectively. All three catchers hit from the right side.
Of course, the Braves have been widely tabbed as a pursuer of catching talent this winter, with free agent Jason Castro among the possible targets connected with the organization. Adding Gosewisch hardly commits the team to an alternative course — indeed, it doesn’t even mean he’ll necessarily be tendered — but it does impact the overall picture somewhat. It’s possible, for instance, that his addition could pave the way for Recker to be dealt elsewhere.
Tuffy Gosewisch Out For Year With ACL Tear
Diamondbacks catcher Tuffy Gosewisch will miss the rest of the season after being diagnosed with a torn ACL, the club announced. The 31-year-old had already been placed on the 15-day DL.
Gosewisch earned his first opportunity at a regular role this year for Arizona. Generally a meager offensive producer in his time in the minors — most of it spent with the Phillies — Gosewisch was able to crack the lineup due to his quality glovework and the club’s lack of options behind the plate.
Through 138 plate appearances this year, Gosewisch largely matched the batting output he put up in reserve duty last year. All told, he has taken 317 turns at bat in the majors, slashing .212/.241/.285 with two home runs and two stolen bases. But Baseball Prospectus has valued him as a slightly above-average performer behind the dish.
Fellow backstop Wilson Ramos also suffered a May ACL tear back in 2012, ultimately missing the entire rest of the season. Despite missing the early part of Spring Training, he recovered in time to open the year on the active roster. Barring any setbacks, Gosewisch figures to follow approximately the same timeline.
With Gosewisch down for the rest of the year, it seems likely that mid-season signee Jarrod Saltalamacchia will do most of the receiving, with Jordan Pacheco functioning as the backup. But the door is now slightly more open for prospect Peter O’Brien, who is bludgeoning Triple-A pitching (.339/.379/.650) while he continues to work to establish himself as a viable defensive option.