It looks like the Minnesota Twins have addressed one of their biggest needs during free agency.
According to multiple reports, the Twins have agreed on a three-year contract with free agent catcher Jason Castro.
Source: #Twins to sign free-agent catcher Jason Castro.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 22, 2016
Source: Jason Castro and Twins agree to a three-year, $24.5M deal.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 22, 2016
Castro would be the first acquisition for new Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey and GM Thad Levine.
Castro, 29, was highly sought after. In addition to the Twins, the Braves and Tampa Bay Rays were also reportedly very interested.
MLBTradeRumors noted that he had received multiple three-year contract offers.
Castro is a lifetime .232 hitter with 62 career home runs. He is coming off his least productive year, hitting just .210 with 11 home runs last season.
According to the Pioneer Press, the Twins were interested in a defensive-type catcher. Castro would fit that mode. He is regarded as a superior pitch framer.
The Twins needed to do something behind the plate. Kurt Suzuki is a free agent and they waived Juan Centeno. That left only light-hitting minor league holdover John Ryan Murphy.
