Houston Astros and star catcher agree to $12 million, 2-year contract.

The Houston Astros and catcher Victor Caratini concurred Tuesday to a $12 million, two-year agreement, an individual acquainted with the arrangement told The Related Press.

The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been made public and was contingent on a successful physical. Additional bonuses for performance can be earned by Caratini.

Caratini, who is 30 years old and has been a backup for William Contreras, hit.259 with seven home runs and 25 RBIs in 62 games this year for the Milwaukee Brewers.

In seven major league seasons with the Chicago Cubs (2017-20), San Diego (2021), and Milwaukee (2022-43), Caratini has hit.236 with 38 home runs and 171 RBIs.

The Astros’ starting catcher next year is likely Yainer Dáz, and the deal with Caratini may mean that Houston will not re-sign Martn Maldonado. Since 2019, the 37-year-old has been with the Astros.

New manager Joe Espada stated on Monday, “I’ve been talking to Yainer once a week.” In order to prepare him for spring training, we will carry out a few activities in January leading up to spring training. I don’t maintain that we should get to spring preparing and begin without any preparation. Therefore, we will begin having conversations about our staff, how to attack particular lineups, and things we know we can assist him with, such as receiving and throwing, right now.