The Astros signed a utility man Cavan Biggio on a minor league deal with a major league invitation to Spring Training, according to a team announcement.
Bigio, 31 in April, will be entering his eighth season as a major leaguer if he makes the Astros’ roster. A fifth-round pick by the Blue Jays in 2016, he played impressively in Toronto in his first two years with the club, hitting .240/.368/.430 with a 118 wRC+ and 4.0 fWAR in 159 games between the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Entering the 2021 season, Biggio looked like a building block for the Blue Jays’ next core. He was the team’s everyday second baseman on paper, slotting in next to the emerging hitters Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (inside corners) and Bo Bichette (at shortstop).
Unfortunately, that hot start to Bigio’s career has since proved elusive. While Guerrero and Bichette both went on to star with the Jays, Bigio fell into a relief role with the team. He hit just .219/.327/.351 (93 wRC+) over the remainder of his Jays career before being waived by the team in June of 2024. That left Biggio to spend the rest of the year bouncing between teams. He made appearances in the majors with the Dodgers and Braves in the second half of the season before landing with the Royals on a minor league deal last season. He’s hit .184/.298/.286 (70 wRC+) for a 29.0% strikeout rate since leaving Toronto, including a lackluster 59 wRC+ in 37 games with Kansas City last year. He was optioned for assignment just before the trade deadline and finished the 2025 campaign in the Angels’ minor league system, where he hit .242/.375/.303 even in the battered Pacific Coast League.
As difficult as the last two seasons have been for Bigio, there is still reason to believe he can once again be a key player in a part-time role. Biggio has a 13.5% career walk rate, and has never dipped below 10% in a single season. That provides a solid base for grounded ability that can be hard to come by in bench players; after all, Bigio carried a .296 OBP with the Royals last year despite hitting well below the Mendoza line. He also offers impressive versatility, with plenty of experience at all four corners and at second base. That resurgence was enough for the Astros to decide to roll the dice on Bigio as a potential bench contributor this year, bringing him into camp and giving him a chance to earn a spot on the roster.
Bigio’s chances of making the program are hard to see. On the other hand, the Astros didn’t make their wish for more privacy, with their latest trade. Jesus Sanchez for the Blue Jays removed their few remaining experienced bats from the lineup. On the other hand, Bigio has primarily played the infield throughout his career, and the Astros’ infield mix is already very crowded. Carlos Correa, Jeremy Pena, Jose Altuveagain Christian Walker all figures play more or less every day in the world of diamonds, which leaves Isaac Paredes (who is also a decent everyday player) is left to bat as it is. Combine that surplus of interior talent with a lot of uncertainty at the interior corners, and Biggio’s best shot at making the roster would be as a short-time, competitive cornerback. Joey Loperfido again Zach Cole in that role.
Of course that could change quickly if the club’s reported trade talks involving Paredes come to fruition. If more room is created on the bench, Biggio could fit in well as an attacking option along with Nick Allen on the team bench. Brice Matthews again Shay Whitcomb he could also compete for bench spots in the infield, should Paredes (or, perhaps, Walker) find themselves traded before Opening Day.
