Baltimore Orioles: Orioles among teams to pursue Welington Castillo

Aug 31, 2016; San Francisco, CA, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Welington Castillo (7) looks on during an at bat against the San Francisco Giants during the sixth inning at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 31, 2016; San Francisco, CA, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Welington Castillo (7) looks on during an at bat against the San Francisco Giants during the sixth inning at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The Arizona Diamondbacks stunned everyone when they announced they were going to non-tender Welington Castillo. With Castillo on the free agent market, are the Baltimore Orioles interested in him?

The Baltimore Orioles know their chances to sign Mark Trumbo, Matt Wieters and Pedro Alvarez are slim. That’s why they’re scouring the free agent market with hopes of filling the current holes on the team.

While the free agent market seems thin, the non-tender date seems to have bolstered the market a bit.

The Arizona Diamondbacks made a surprising announcement when they declared they were non-tendering Welington Castillo, which put the catcher on the free agent block.

The Orioles are slated to lose Wieters, and they’ve been looking for a cheaper alternative. Which is why the team has expressed interest in acquiring Castillo, reports Roch Kubatko of MASN. The Orioles aren’t the only ones who are interested though. The American League East rivals the Tampa Bay Rays are also pursuing the catcher.

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The Rays have Luke Maile and Curt Casali in their catcher depth chart, so it’s no surprise they took interest when Castillo hit the free agent market. Along with the Rays, the Atlanta Braves have show interest. The current Braves starter is Tyler Flowers, and Flowers has Anthony Recker and Tuffy Gosewisch behind him. But the Braves are also intrigued.

Castillo played 113 games with the Diamondbacks in 2016, hitting .264/.322/.420 with 14 homers and 63 RBI. While it would be a downgrade from Wieters, Castillo would provide depth at the position. The Orioles currently have Caleb Joseph as the starting catcher next season, who hasn’t had an impressive year since 2015, where he hit 11 homers and drove in 49.

Next: Orioles interested in Curtis Granderson?

It’s no question the Orioles have a lot they need to accomplish, and they may accomplish something as the Winter Meetings go into full swing tomorrow morning. But will the Orioles go against the norm and leave the Winter Meetings with a few new pieces, starting with a new catcher?