Astros quietly lose key depth piece as Twins beat them to priority free agent

A stated priority of the Houston Astros at the start of the offseason was to bring back Victor Caratini. Caratini has served as the backup catcher for the Astros over the last two years, but his switch-hitting profile also allowed for some creativity with lineup construction. The issue the Astros found themselves in this offseason is payroll space, considering they are already approaching the first level of the CBT.

If the Astros were going to find a way to bring back Caratini, it seemed like they first needed to find a suitor for Isaac Paredes or Christian Walker to create payroll space. Time wasn't on their side as FanSided's Robert Murray reports that Caratini is inking a two-year deal with the Minnesota Twins.

Astros lose top backup catcher target as Twins swoop in

Caratini posted a wRC+ over 100 in each of the two years he spent in Houston, and he also proved capable of playing first base. With Houston not having much flexibility to address the position-player side of their roster, bringing Caratini back would have been an ideal outcome for the offseason.

The Astros have been busy this offseason, but not in the way many fans were hoping. They spent the early weeks of the winter finding bargain-bin shopping for additions to their pitching staff.

Over the past month, they've gone a step further by adding Mike Burrows as part of a three-team trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Tampa Bay Rays. To start the New Year, they signed Tatsuya Imai to a three-year deal that created the payroll conundrum they now find themselves in.

In the immediate aftermath of Imai's signing, the expectation was that the Astros would look for a backup catcher. Cesar Salazar, by most accounts, is liked by the organization, but he only has 36 games to his name.

The Astros need an experienced option behind Yainer Diaz. Former rival-turned-free-agent Jonah Heim is still available and could be an option for Houston. As was the case with Caratini, the Astros may need to clear payroll space before making a move.