Diamondbacks claim Humberto Castellanos from Astros

The Astros have lost another player on waivers.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have claimed right-handed pitcher Humberto Castellanos off waivers from the Houston Astros, the teams announced Friday.

Castellanos, 22, was designated for assignment last week by the Astros to make room for free-agent catcher Jason Castro, who signed a deal to return to Houston. He made his major-league debut in 2020, appearing in eight games and throwing 10.2 innings. The 40-man roster is now full after the Castro addition.

Castellanos is the third Astros player to be claimed off waivers this offseason. In December, the Diamondbacks claimed right-handed pitcher Rogelio Armenteros and the Atlanta Braves claimed utilityman Jack Mayfield. Armenteros, of course, was later claimed on waivers by the Washington Nationals.

Losing Castellanos has little-to-no impact on the Astros this season and moving forward. He did not figure to make much of an impact out of the bullpen, especially after recent additions such as Ryne Stanek and Pedro Baez. But the Astros, who insist that their big spending is done this offseason, are still on the lookout for additional bullpen help.

Names such as Trevor Rosenthal and Alex Colome, both of whom the Astros are interested in, are likely to be out of the team’s price range. They figure to be looking for value in free agency, and there are a multitude of options available. The best names available include Mark Melancon, Steve Cishek, Sergio Romo, Tony Watson, Jake McGee, Justin Wilson, Trevor Cahill, Joakim Soria, Jeremy Jeffress, David Phelps, Brad Peacock, Andrew Chafin, Brandon Workman, Chasen Shreve, Tyler Clippard and others.

Jeffress is a player that has been linked to the Astros in free agency, and he is likely to come cheap even after having a strong bounce back season with the Chicago Cubs. It is likely that most, if not all, of those relievers have heard from general manager James Click. The loss of Castellanos does not change the fact that they could use one, perhaps two, additional arms in the bullpen.