SAN DIEGO -- The Cubs dealt catcher Welington Castillo to the Mariners on Tuesday for right-handed pitcher Yoervis Medina, who will report to Triple-A Iowa.The Cubs were carrying three catchers this season with Castillo, Miguel Montero and David Ross. Montero has gotten the majority of the playing time, appearing in 30 games and batting .313. Ross has been matched up with Jon Lester, and he was batting .194 in 20 games.
Castillo was batting .163 in 24 games with two home runs, two doubles and five RBIs. He was the Cubs' starting catcher in 2013-14, batting .274 in '13, but his offense dropped last year when he hit .235. 
Yahoo! Sports first reported the deal on Tuesday. Castillo is expected to back up Mike Zunino, who is batting .179 in 35 games.The Cubs wanted to keep Castillo, 28, as insurance in case Montero, who turns 32 on July 9, or Ross, 38, was injured. A good defensive catcher in terms of throwing out runners and pitch blocking, Castillo came up through the Cubs' system.Medina has posted a 2.82 ERA in 141 appearances out of the Mariners' bullpen in the past three seasons. He has struck out 140 batters over 137 innings while limiting opponents to a .216 batting average, including a .228 mark against right-handed hitters and a .198 mark against lefties.The 26-year-old made his Major League debut in 2013, and he went 4-6 with one save and a 2.91 ERA in 63 relief appearances, ranking second among American League rookies in holds (19). This year, he was 1-0 with three holds, one save and a 3.00 ERA, giving up four earned runs over 12 innings in 12 relief outings.
Carrie Muskat/ MLB.com
Yahoo! Sports first reported the deal on Tuesday. Castillo is expected to back up Mike Zunino, who is batting .179 in 35 games.The Cubs wanted to keep Castillo, 28, as insurance in case Montero, who turns 32 on July 9, or Ross, 38, was injured. A good defensive catcher in terms of throwing out runners and pitch blocking, Castillo came up through the Cubs' system.Medina has posted a 2.82 ERA in 141 appearances out of the Mariners' bullpen in the past three seasons. He has struck out 140 batters over 137 innings while limiting opponents to a .216 batting average, including a .228 mark against right-handed hitters and a .198 mark against lefties.The 26-year-old made his Major League debut in 2013, and he went 4-6 with one save and a 2.91 ERA in 63 relief appearances, ranking second among American League rookies in holds (19). This year, he was 1-0 with three holds, one save and a 3.00 ERA, giving up four earned runs over 12 innings in 12 relief outings.
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