The Astros have signed utility man Cavan Biggio to a minor league cope with an invitation to large league Spring Coaching, per a workforce announcement.
Biggio, 31 in April, could be coming into his eighth season as a giant leaguer if he makes the Astros’ roster. A fifth-round decide by the Blue Jays in 2016, he turned in spectacular performances for Toronto in his first two years with the membership, slashing .240/.368/.430 with a wRC+ of 118 and 4.0 fWAR in 159 video games between the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Getting into the 2021 season, Biggio appeared like a constructing block of the Blue Jays’ subsequent core. He was the workforce’s on a regular basis second baseman on paper, slotting in alongside fellow up-and-coming hitters Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (on the infield corners) and Bo Bichette (at shortstop).
Sadly, that scorching begin to Biggio’s profession has since proved to be unsustainable. Whereas Guerrero and Bichette each went on to seek out stardom with the Jays, Biggio fell right into a utility function with the workforce. He hit simply .219/.327/.351 (93 wRC+) all through the rest of his Jays profession earlier than being lower unfastened by the workforce in June of 2024. That left Biggio to spend the remainder of the yr bouncing between groups. He appeared within the majors with the Dodgers and Braves by way of the second half of the season earlier than catching on with the Royals on a minor league deal final offseason. He’s hit simply .184/.298/.286 (70 wRC+) with a 29.0% strikeout fee since leaving Toronto, together with a lackluster 59 wRC+ in 37 video games with Kansas Metropolis final yr. He was designated for project shortly earlier than the commerce deadline and completed the 2025 marketing campaign within the Angels’ minor league system, the place he hit simply .242/.375/.303 even within the inflated offensive surroundings of the Pacific Coast League.
Tough because the previous two seasons have been for Biggio, there’s nonetheless some motive to consider that he can rebound to be a useful participant in a part-time function. Biggio has a profession 13.5% stroll fee, and it’s by no means fallen under 10% for a single season. That gives a strong ground of on-base potential that may be tough to seek out in bench gamers; in any case, Biggio managed a .296 OBP with the Royals final yr regardless of hitting properly under the Mendoza line. He additionally affords spectacular versatility, with numerous expertise in all 4 corners in addition to second base. That upside was clearly sufficient for the Astros to determine to roll the cube on Biggio as a possible bench contributor this yr, bringing him into camp and providing him the chance to earn a spot on the roster.
Biggio’s odds of really making the roster are exhausting to determine. On the one hand, the Astros haven’t made their need to get extra left-handed a secret, and their current commerce of Jesus Sanchez to the Blue Jays eliminated one among their few skilled lefty bats from the lineup. Then again, Biggio has primarily performed the infield all through his profession, and the Astros’ infield combine is already very crowded. Carlos Correa, Jeremy Pena, Jose Altuve, and Christian Walker all determine to play roughly on daily basis across the diamond, which leaves Isaac Paredes (who can be an everyday-caliber participant on benefit) left to combat for at-bats as it’s. Mix that surplus of infield expertise with loads of uncertainty on the infield corners, and Biggio’s greatest shot at making the roster may very well be as a part-time nook outfielder, competing with Joey Loperfido and Zach Cole in that function.
After all, that would change in a rush if the workforce’s reported commerce talks involving Paredes come to fruition. If extra room is created on the bench, Biggio might slot in properly as a extra offensively-oriented complemented to Nick Allen on the membership’s bench. Brice Matthews and Shay Whitcomb might additionally compete for bench spots on the infield, within the occasion that Paredes (or, maybe, Walker) finds himself traded previous to Opening Day.
