So, the Astros undoubtedly need a new backup catcher now.
For two years, $14 million, Victor Caratini‘s new contract with the Twins represents a fairly minor raise compared to his previous two-year, $12 million pact with Houston. It’ll be interesting to see if Dana Brown and Joe Espada will trust César Salazar with the backup role behind Yainer Díaz moving forward, or if the club will pivot to another free agent catcher.
Caratini will likely be missed in the lineup at least as the switch-hitter provided some much-needed balance to a lineup too reliant on right-handed bats last season. No team had fewer plate appearances by a hitter on the left-hand side of the batter’s box last season than the Astros, with 1,053, with Caratini being responsible for 324 of those, or roughly 30.7%. A healthy Yordan Alvarez will help address part of this issue, but there is now less lineup flexibility than in the prior two seasons.
Talking about lineup flexibility, I am curious to see what becomes of Isaac Paredes. Following Nolan Arenado‘s trade to the Diamondbacks, with the Cardinals absorbing $31 million of his remaining $42 million salary over the next two seasons, it might take a similar commitment from the Astros to trade Christian Walker, who is owed $40 million over the next two years. If there is a market for his services, which I highly doubt.
To help clear this current infield logjam, trading Paredes is probably the path of least resistance to balance out this roster a bit more. With Alex Bregman now with the Cubs, the Red Sox have naturally come to mind as a potential suitor for Paredes. On paper, especially with how much Paredes likes to pull the ball, the match with Fenway Park is obvious, much like it is currently at Daikin Park in Houston.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic brought up an interesting point last week: the Red Sox have extra outfielders to trade. Back when the offseason started, it felt like Paredes to Boston was possible to net the Astros a couple of cost-controlled starting pitchers. However, it feels like the outfield is now more of a need at this point than the rotation. It would obviously take more than Paredes to bring back someone like Jarren Duran, another left-handed hitter, in a trade, but you can see how this fits for both teams if they decide to move in that direction.
One noticeable downside in any trade of Paredes, though, lies in his approach at the plate. For an organization looking to become more patient at the plate last season, the 26-year-old was the only regular prior to his hamstring injury in late July who maintained a noticeably patient approach.
For his career, Duran sees about 3.83 pitches in his plate appearances. Paredes averages around 4.30 pitches per plate appearance for his career. Dana Brown has made it a point to express his desire for a more patient lineup. Trading Paredes would run counterintuitively to that desire. That said, a less patient approach doesn’t mean Duran is a better hitter than Paredes or vice versa. They each bring a different dynamic to a lineup. Duran, being a left-handed bat, would help balance out a lineup even more, for example.
Other News
- Astro great Ryan Pressly officially retired on Saturday after 13 MLB seasons (Twins, Astros, and Cubs)
- Former Astro Mauricio Dubón might get an extended look at shortstop for the Braves, considering the recent injury to Ha-Seong Kim
- So, CJ Stroud didn’t have a good day, but at least it is one day closer to baseball season
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