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Report: Twins agree to 3-year deal with Castro

Jerry Lai / USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Twins appear to have found their new catcher, as they've reportedly agreed to terms on a three-year contract with Jason Castro, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

The deal is reportedly worth $24.5 million, reports Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan. That figure would represent the largest free-agent contract handed out by the Twins since signing Kirby Puckett to a $30-million deal in the winter of 1990, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

Castro will likely take over from fellow free agent Kurt Suzuki as the Twins' primary catcher. He'll look to improve a position that was a major weakness for the league-worst Twins in 2016, as their catchers combined to hit just .249/.295/.378 with only 11 homers - matching Castro's personal home run total each of the last two years - while also striking out 100 times.

Castro became a wanted man over the last few days, as he was reportedly mulling over multiple three-year offers from a variety of clubs. The Tampa Bay Rays were apparently one of the teams to have made Castro an offer, and the Los Angeles Angels also reportedly inquired about signing him.

An All-Star in 2013 - still his best big-league season at the plate - Castro has spent his entire six-year career with the Houston Astros, where he served as the team's catcher during both their rebuild and surprise playoff appearance in 2015. This past season the 29-year-old appeared in just 111 games and hit just .210/.307/.377, but had a solid season defensively, throwing out 14 would-be base-stealers and compiling 6.8 defensive WAR, per Fangraphs.

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