NEWSLETTER
The latest on (former?) Cubs outfielder Nick Castellanos has the Texas Rangers getting the most hype from Jon Morosi on MLB Network, with the Cubs mentioned as still having interest.
"One team I'm watching most closely right now on Castellanos: the @Rangers." – @jonmorosi #MLBNHotStove pic.twitter.com/TC1d8TZf5r
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) December 27, 2019
You know the drill with the Cubs and Castellanos: they both want a reunion, but the Cubs aren’t going to be a fit until they move out considerable salary and also (likely) open up a spot in the outfield. These are very tall tasks, and, absent Castellanos’s market cratering to unforeseen levels, they are necessary precursors to a deal. It’s hard to see, as much as we want Castellanos back in the Cubs’ lineup next year.
The Rangers, meanwhile, have always made sense for Castellanos, who can slide into the outfield spot vacated by the Nomar Mazara trade, and can also see time at DH and/or maybe first base. Although they previously had interest in Josh Donaldson, the Rangers were among the teams seemingly refusing to go to four years. Would they go to four+ years on a less well-rounded, but much younger player in Castellanos?
Having already added significantly to the pitching staff, and perhaps sensing a looming step back from the Astros(?), now would seem like a good time for the Rangers to be a little extra aggressive on a bat like Castellanos.
Interestingly, you may recall that when the Rangers’ interest in Castellanos first became public, it was at the same time as GM Jon Daniels made comments suggesting they were unlikely to make a big trade for a short-term player (one or two years) until and unless they had already added a big bat in free agency. He was talking about Anthony Rendon at the time, but it wasn’t hard to connect the dots and conclude that it’s possible the Rangers would be more likely to push hard for a guy like Kris Bryant if they had also already signed a guy like Nick Castellanos. It certainly gives this whole story an extra layer of weird … and also discomfort, given that I don’t particularly want to see Castellanos sign with the Rangers, and I also don’t particularly see the Rangers as a good trading partner for the Cubs.
We’ll just keep on watching these various external sagas unfold …
