Part of the reason why I wanted the Diamondbacks to look at a possible Derek Norris trade was because of pitch framing ability. I figured with a more analytically-inclined front office that pitch framing skills would play into the catching situation. While Castillo posted 1.7 fWAR/2.4 bWAR, the Diamondbacks were not comfortable paying him a likely $6M. As a result, they elected to non-tender Castillo and likely use the savings to improve the team in another area like the outfield or the bullpen. The Diamondbacks didn’t waste any time right afterwards as they signed Jeff Mathis on a 2-year, $4M deal.
Diamondbacks shake up catching situation, non-tendering Welington Castillo and signing Jeff Mathis
