Welington Castillo agrees to 1-year deal with Orioles
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BALTIMORE -- Free agent catcher Welington Castillo has agreed to a $6 million, one-year contract with the Baltimore Orioles, pending a medical review.
Castillo's agreement includes a $7 million player option for 2018.
He hit .264 with 14 homers and 68 RBIs in 111 games with Arizona last season, when he made $3.7 million. The 29-year-old, who became a free agent when the Diamondbacks failed to offer a 2017 contract, is expected to take over from four-time All Star Matt Wieters, who became a free agent.
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Wieters accepted a $15.8 million qualifying offer last offseason and hit .243 with 17 homers and 66 RBIs in 124 games. He was not given a $17.2 million qualifying offer last month.
Castillo represents a lower-priced option. The 29-year-old broke into the big leagues in 2010 with the Chicago Cubs and has also played with Seattle.
He has a .255 career batting average with 60 home runs and 230 RBIs over 1,904 games.
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Wieters, the fifth overall pick in the 2007 amateur draft, has spent his entire career with Baltimore.
The switch-hitter is known for his ability to work with a pitching staff but has also been productive at the plate: He has a .256 batting average with 117 homers and 437 RBIs over eight seasons.