It wasn't a surprise when catcher Welington Castillo decided not to accept his $7 million option for 2018, thus ending his tenure with the Orioles after one season.
Castillo had a good season in Baltimore, setting career highs with a .282 batting average and 20 home runs and leading the major leagues by throwing out 49 percent of baserunners trying to steal.
"Welington Castillo did a nice job for the Orioles in 2017 and had one of his best offensive years and threw out almost half of the base stealers," Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette wrote in a text message, "so it's no surprise he chose free agency. The Orioles appreciate Castillo's good work and wish him well in the future."
