For all practical purposes, we have been talking about Nick Castellanos as a free-agent-to-be already. But, strictly speaking, that isn’t the case, as he’s got a deal with the Reds for two more years – it’s just that he can opt out of the remaining two years and $34 million after the season.
Given that the 29-year-old outfielder has hit a career-best .318/.376/.565 (146 wRC+) while playing sufficiently passable defense in right field that he doesn’t have to be viewed as a DH-only, we have all been thinking that the opt-out was a foregone conclusion.
If you’re the type that needs a report to give you the skinny, though, consider this confirmation:
All-Star OF Nick Castellanos is likely to opt out with $34M, 2 yrs to go, joining Conforto, Marte and Schwarber at top of free agent OF list (*A.J. Pollock and Avi Garcia may qualify to opt out on plate PA, **Not counting Chris Taylor or Kris Bryant who play all over) @MLBNetwork
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) August 25, 2021
I’d think it would have to take a catastrophic injury later this season to even put the opt-out into question at this point. Castellanos will be a free agent (after he opts out, and then receives a qualifying offer, and then rejects the qualifying offer).
As for whether the Cubs will be involved, it’s something we have discussed recently:
For their part, the question is whether the Cubs are even looking to sign a guy like Castellanos at this time. The defense in the corner outfield spots (especially at Wrigley Field) would be dodgy, but NL teams are highly likely to have the DH available in 2022 and beyond. Castellanos figures to be attached to a qualifying offer, which is a consideration, though the Cubs are not over the luxury tax – and will likely have their own qualifying-offer-generated picks going in the other direction – so the pain from signing a qualified free agent will go down. Financially, the money should be there for signings of Castellanos’s caliber.
Even if you set aside any of the emotional/fan/energy stuff, here’s the reality about Castellanos, which was true in 2019 and is still true now: he’s a high-swing-rate, low-strikeout-rate, extreme-line-drive guy, who brings a very different type of bat to this Cubs lineup. There are reasons to want the Cubs to make this type of move no matter what, especially if they are not engaging in the kind of rebuild that they affirmatively want to lose in 2022. You have the opportunity to get a guy like Castellanos only when he’s available, and the Cubs are lucky he’s likely to be available again.
Castellanos just ranked as the 10th best free agent on the market ahead, and he might be the highest-ranked guy the Cubs pursue.