Welington Castillo deal is official

By Roch Kubatko

Orioles

December 16, 2016, 5:18am

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Catcher Welington Castillo passed his physical with the Orioles and signed his contract. He's officially a part of the team.

Castillo took the physical yesterday in Baltimore after agreeing to terms on a one-year, $6 million deal that includes a $7 million player option for 2018.

The Orioles' 40-man roster is now full, but they obviously can create space for future signings or trade acquisitions.

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.

Castillo threw out 38 percent of runners attempting to steal this summer, according to Baseball-Reference.com. He's thrown out 31 percent in seven seasons, including parts of six with the Cubs.

Since 2014, Castillo has hit 45 home runs as a catcher and ranks tied for sixth in the majors.

With Castillo's signing official, it appears that the Orioles have moved on from Matt Wieters. Caleb Joseph is expected to back up Castillo, though Francisco Pena is out of options and also on the 40-man roster.

Catcher Chance Sisco, the top prospect in the organization, will begin the season at Triple-A Norfolk.