Astros face roster decisions at catcher

Chris Snyder, signed prior to the season by the Houston Astros, had a less-than-stellar year for the team. He has hit only .179 with seven home runs and 24 RBIs in 2012, and will undoubtedly be the backup to Jason Castro in the future as the 25-year old continues to prepare for full-time duty following a lost 2011 season and a spate of injuries in 2012.

That leaves the Astros with a decision to make: re-sign Snyder or let the veteran go? Snyder and the team have a mutual option for next year.

The Astros' former first-round pick, Castro is guaranteed to be the top man at catcher next season, but the Astros have made it clear that despite his failings at the plate, Snyder is a big part of the organization in the clubhouse:

"Snyder's really provided an important element of leadership in the clubhouse," general manager Jeff Luhnow said. "Offensively, he hasn't produced the way he would have wanted or we would have wanted, but we're going to have to look forward and see what it means for us.

It's going to come down to just how important the Astros find Snyder's leadership -- they will certainly have opportunities to go out and find a better hitter to take the No. 2 spot in the depth chart behind the plate.