Sports Desk
Texas: The San Diego Padres acquired veteran catcher Jason Castro from the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday afternoon in an attempt to fortify a position that had been lacking in offense.
Castro, 33, is hitting just .192 but has two homers and six RBIs in 18 games this season. He has spent 10 seasons in the big leagues, posting a .231 average with 88 homers and 298 RBIs in 843 games.
Padres catchers are last in the National League in batting average (.136) and on-base percentage (.224) through play Sunday.
The Angels received right-hander Gerardo Reyes in the exchange. Reyes has not pitched in the major leagues this season, but appeared in 27 games for the Padres last year, going 4-0 with a 7.62 ERA, all in relief.
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The Padres have been one of the busiest teams in baseball before the trade deadline. They also acquired relief pitcher Trevor Rosenthal from the Kansas City Royals and first baseman Mitch Moreland from the Boston Red Sox. Late Sunday night, they also landed catcher Austin Nola from the Seattle Mariners in a seven-player deal.
Nola could end up as the Padres’ primary catcher. Castro and Austin Hedges, who entered Sunday hitting .167 with three homers and five RBIs in 28 games, could split time catching and at designated hitter.
