Like a lot of you, I was initially hopeful that Nick Castellanos’s unique contract with the Cincinnati Reds was designed in large part to give him a shot at free agency again after that first season. Maybe the Cubs could then take a crack at bringing him back when the books looked different, and if the DH was on the horizon.
That was back in January. Boy did the world change after that.
By the time the 2020 season started, even if the DH thing had happened, the rest looked completely untenable. We knew already that the Cubs weren’t going to be spending big in the offseason, and we knew already that Castellanos was going to be crazy to opt out of his deal. It sucks that it played out this way, but reality is reality.
Castellanos is sticking with the Reds:
Nick Castellanos did not notify the #Reds he was opting out, so… he’s back with the team for 2021
— C. トレント・ローズクランズ (@ctrent) October 31, 2020
Castellanos hit just .225/.298/.486 (102 wRC+) in his first season with the Reds, absolutely tanking after those first few scorching hot weeks. Just as we say with Cubs players, it’s impossible to really judge performance with absolute certainty from this past season, so how much can you really take away from Castellanos’s year? I think the guy probably can still hit quite well. Defensively? Well, we can presume the Reds are hoping the DH is available in the NL in 2021 and beyond, though that remains to be negotiated with the players.
Castellanos, who turns 29 in March, does have another opt out after next season, so hey, if you want to keep that hope alive. Otherwise, his deal runs through 2023 ($16M AAV) with a mutual option for 2024.