AP Jason Castro breaking his foot while playing in the Arizona Fall League left the Astros short on catching depth and Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports that they’ve agreed to terms with veteran backstop Chris Snyder.
Snyder is from Houston and has long been a starting-caliber catcher, but missed most of last season following back surgery before the Pirates declined his $6.75 million option for 2012.
Obviously back problems are bad news for catchers, but Snyder is still reasonably young at 31 and offers 15-homer power along with good plate discipline and a solid arm. His batting average won’t be pretty, but if healthy Snyder can be an above-average hitter for the position.
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- b7p19 - Jan 20, 2012 at 12:41 PM
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How long is Castro out? Anybody know what the initial timeframe was?
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- jwbiii - Jan 20, 2012 at 3:14 PM
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Maybe ready for spring training, maybe not.
…and Jason Castro had surgery on his left foot last Friday. He's sidelined for three months which might cut into part of his Sp. Training.—
Alyson Footer (@alysonfooter) December 12, 2011
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- warhawk04 - Jan 20, 2012 at 12:59 PM
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Judging from the picture he’s not going to be doing a whole lot of bunting.
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- stex52 - Jan 20, 2012 at 3:38 PM
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Going from his statistics, it looks like a smart move. Catcher has been a problem for a while. With Castro out to start, they need somebody with Quintero. Someone with a little more batting almost looks too good to be true. Of course, it’s all about the back.
Sure looks like a better gamble than Cust.
