Astros defeat Castro in arbitration, players lead 3-1

The Houston Astros became the first MLB team this winter to successfully argue their arbitration case when a three-person panel sided with the club in its hearing against catcher Jason Castro.

Castro will earn $5 million in his final season of arbitration eligibility after filing at $5.25 million. Despite the difference of only $250,000, Castro's salary for 2016 represents a $1-million raise from last year's earnings.

An All-Star in 2013, Castro has regressed significantly at the plate in recent years for the upstart Astros, hitting .217/.284/.365 (81 OPS+) with a 30 percent strikeout rate since his breakout campaign. Last year, the 28-year-old catcher managed a .648 OPS - his worst since his rookie season - while battling a quad strain that limited him to 104 games.

In 2015, Castro made 102 starts at catcher and threw out 36 percent (24 of 66) of attempted base stealers.

Players are 3-1 in arbitration this year after three pitchers won their hearings: Toronto's Jesse Chavez ($4 million), Tampa Bay's Drew Smyly ($3.75 million), and Cincinnati's J.J. Hoover ($1.4 million).

- With files from The Associated Press