Outfielder Nick Castellanos Agrees To A 4-Year Contract With The Cincinnati Reds

By Jordan Long

The Cincinnati Reds have been busy in free agency.  They agreed to contracts with pitchers Nate Jones, Wade Miley, Tyler Thornburg and 2^nd baseman Mike Moustakas.  The Reds added another hitter to their lineup, agreeing to a deal with free agent Nick Castellanos.  His contract will be 4-years, worth $64 million. 

                Castellanos is going into his 8^th MLB season.  The Reds are his 3^rd team.  Last season he started out with the Detroit Tigers before being dealt to the Chicago Cubs.   His year took off in the windy city.  Castellanos hit .321 with Chicago.  What helped the Cubs win games, even though they fell short of the playoffs, was his ability to smack the ball for extra base hits.  Castellanos had 21 doubles and 16 home runs while adding 36 RBI’s for the Cubs.

                The Cubs were hoping to keep him.  They still had interest in bringing him back because of what he did for the offense. Chicago never offered him a contract.  Castellanos did what he felt best to continue his career and that was to sign with the Reds.

                Castellanos is a pretty decent hitter, but his glove will also improve the Reds’ outfield.  In 137 games last season in right field, Castellanos made an impressively low 2 errors.  He rarely misjudged a ball that was hit his way.  Base runners couldn’t advance on him because of his arm.  Castellanos managed 6 outfield assists.

                The Reds are taking a chance with Castellanos.  It could be a rental for only the 2020 season. The contract includes an opt-out clause after the 2020 season.  It is possible the Reds might be bidding for his services again in the 2021 offseason.

The Reds look like an improved team with their free agent acquisitions.  They went 75-87 in 2019.  On paper, this is a team that could end up around .500 and in the Wild Card mix.  The Reds haven’t made the postseason since 2013 when they lost the Wild Card game to the Pittsburgh Pirates.  The last time the Reds won a playoff series was 1995 when they advanced to the National League Championship Series.  The Reds will head to Spring Training on February 18^th with the goal of making a run at the postseason.