Astros decline option on catcher Chris Snyder

The Houston Astros have cut ties with veteran catcher Chris Snyder, declining their half of his $4 million mutual option for the 2013 season, reports Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle:

Chris Snyder’s one-year hometown run with the Astros has ended.

The club declined Wednesday to pick up the catcher’s 2013 contract option. The nine-year veteran is expected to receive a $500,000 buyout and become a free agent once the market officially opens late Friday.

Snyder, 31, appeared in seventy-six games for the Astros this season, hitting just .176/.295/.308 with seven home runs and throwing out just 22 percent of would-be base stealers. A career .225/.329/.385 hitter, Snyder will likely latch on somewhere as a back-up catcher, but may also only receive minor league offers following his poor 2012 campaign.

By parting ways with Snyder rather than picking up his option, the Astros now have just $5.5 million in payroll on the books for next season. The Astros will go forward with Carlos Corporan and Jason Castro at catcher, possibly adding a veteran backstop in the winter to provide more depth.