Orioles reach agreement with Castillo (updated)

The Orioles found their veteran catcher and further increased the likelihood that they won't bring back Matt Wieters.

Welington Castillo has reached agreement on a one-year deal that also includes a player option for 2018, according to a baseball source.

Castillo, a native of the Dominican Republic who turns 30 in April, is a career .255/.318/.416 hitter in seven major league seasons. The Diamondbacks non-tendered him after he batted .264/.322/.423 with 24 doubles, 14 home runs and 68 RBIs in 113 games.

Two knocks on Castillo defensively are his 10 passed balls this season that tied for most in the National League and his pitch-framing, though the latter category also wasn't favorable to Wieters. Castillo threw out 38 percent of runners attempting to steal, compared to 35 by Wieters.

Wieters has thrown out 33 percent of runners attempting to steal over eight seasons. Castillo has thrown out 31 percent.

Castillo committed seven errors, four fewer than Wieters, whose total led the majors.

The Cubs signed Castillo has an amateur free agent in December 2004. He played parts of six seasons with them before being traded to the Mariners in May 2015 and to the Diamondbacks a month later in a six-player deal that included Mark Trumbo.

The Orioles are expected to pair Castillo with Caleb Joseph, who was tendered a contract at the non-waiver deadline. However, Joseph has minor league options if they decide to go in another direction.

The job eventually will go to top prospect Chance Sisco, but he's going to start the 2017 season at Triple-A Norfolk, which also had Francisco Pena and Audry Perez on the roster this summer. Pena is on the 40-man roster.

Wieters' agent, Scott Boras, hinted that the Winter Meetings that the former first-round pick could remain on the market through December. The Orioles simply couldn't afford to wait as teams courted Castillo and Nick Hundley, another one of their options.

If the switch-hitting Wieters is gone, it increases the Orioles' need to find at least one left-handed bat via free agency or trade. Pedro Alvarez also is a designated hitter, though the club left open the possibility of re-signing him.

Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports first reported the agreement.

Update: Castillo will earn $6 million this year, according to a source, with a player option worth $7 million, per Heyman. So the total value of the deal could be $13 million.

Castillo sought a three-year deal, but settled for less. The Orioles didn't want to pay Wieters $17.2 million next season, which is why they didn't make a qualifying offer.