The Astros are in agreement with free agent catcher Robinson Chirinos on a one-year deal pending a physical, according to a person familiar with the situation, bolstering the club's nonexistent catching depth.
A 34-year-old veteran of seven major league seasons, Chirinos spent the last six years as a Ranger. He set career benchmarks with 96 starts and 893 innings caught last season as Texas' primary catcher. The organization declined a $4.5 million club option after the season, making Chirinos a free agent.
Chirinos will join Max Stassi as the only catchers with major league experience on the Astros 40-man roster following Brian McCann and Martin Maldonado's departures. Minor leaguer Garrett Stubbs was added last month to avoid exposure in the Rule 5 Draft.
Chirinos spent November as part of Major League Baseball's All-Star team in the MLB Japan All-Star Series, a journey on which he was accompanied by Houston pitching coach Brent Strom and reliever Collin McHugh.
Chirinos' addition brings an offensive presence missed for most of last season. Houston received just a .664 OPS from its catchers last season — 19th of 30 teams — and a .295 on-base percentage.
In each of his last four seasons, Chirinos has posted a .750 OPS or higher and an on-base percentage of at least .310. He hit a career-high 18 home runs and drove in 65 runs last season, one which saw an increase in playing time and somewhat of a defensive decline.
In Chirinos' 113 games, Rangers pitchers posted a 5.11 ERA. With other catchers, the staff had a 4.62 ERA.
General manager Jeff Luhnow, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday, reiterated earlier this offseason the organization's preference for defense over offense behind the plate.
"We do want our catchers to produce offensively, it doesn't have to be with home runs, it doesn't have to be with high batting average, they need to do something offensively," Luhnow said last month at the general manager meetings. "There were years where we didn't get much offense from our catching position. It's hard to just keep the line moving and keep the offense producing. It's a balance, we do prioritize defense ahead of offense for that position and a few others as well."
