Texas Rangers acquire Castillo, slot money

Texas Rangers transactions: Catcher Welington Castillo has been acquired from the Chicago White Sox for minor leaguer Jonah McReynolds, the Rangers announced today. Texas also got an undisclosed amount of international slot money as part of this deal, though Jeff Wilson says it is $250,000.

Castillo, 32, has an $8 million team option for 2020, with a $500,000 buyout. Presumably, the ChiSox are parting with international slot money in this deal to save themselves the $500,000 buyout.

McReynolds, 23, just finished his third year playing for Spokane in the Northwest League. He has played a variety of positions, mostly handling third base this season, and was drafted in the 13th round of the 2016 MLB Draft out of Patrick Henry Community College in Martinsville, Virginia. I think he is generally considered an organizational depth guy.

The Rangers will have to decide on the option on Castillo by November 2, 2019, but it appears the team expects to decline the option, which means, in essence, the Rangers are spending $500,000 and giving up McReynolds for the right to spend $250,000 more in the international free agent market between now and next June.

If the Rangers do exercise the option on Castillo, who slashed .209/.267/.417 last year in 72 games, I will discuss him in more detail then.

UPDATE — Levi Weaver says the Rangers will be declining the option on Castillo, as well as the 2020 options on Nate Jones (who is on the 60 day injured list, and who was acquired from Chicago earlier this summer in a deal that got the Rangers international slot money) as well as Shawn Kelley.