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The Houston Astros have designated catcher Carlos Corporan for assignment, the club has announced. The move comes in response to today's signing of outfielder Colby Rasmus to a one-year deal.
The 31-year-old Corporan has served as Houston's backup catcher for the past four years, demonstrating strong defense and pitch-framing abilities, but a weak bat. For his career, he has hit .226/.286/.350 (77 OPS+) with a 1.2 WAR in 199 big league games. In 2014, he proved to be a more than capable secondary option, hitting .235/.302/.376 for a 91 OPS+ and 0.6 WAR in 190 plate appearances. Corporan recently agreed to a one-year, $975,000 contract, avoiding arbitration.
The Astros recently discussed a deal for Corporan with the Texas Rangers, and the odds of such a move occurring now seem more likely. Even before today, Corporan seemed to be the most likely Astros' catcher to be dealt, as the club already had a strong top-two pairing in Jason Castro and the newly acquired Hank Conger. Just last week, the Astros also acquired Evan Gattis, who best fits in left field or at DH, but can play occasionally behind the plate.
Another potential fit for Corporan could be the Arizona Diamondbacks, as Baseball America's JJ Cooper suggests. Arizona is currently set to run out Tuffy Gosewisch as its starting catcher, and despite GM Dave Stewart's recent comments to the contrary, the club would be well served to add another backstop.
The Astros have had quite the busy offseason in regards to overhauling the major league roster, and moving on from doormat status. The club has made a plethora of additions to the big league club, bringing in the likes of Gattis, Conger, Jed Lowrie, Pat Neshek, Luke Gregerson, Dan Straily, Luis Valbuena, and now Rasmus, while jettisoning few beyond Corporan and Dexter Fowler. The Astros also seem close to a deal with free agent right-hander Ryan Vogelsong. Houston will certainly make for an interesting team in 2015, as they enter the next phase in their rebuilding cycle.