10:30: Morosi tweets that both parties are indeed moving forward on the contract. Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia tweets that the Phyllis is really “on” Castellanos. As Salisbury notes, owner John Middleton has said in the past that he would exceed the luxury tax for “the right opportunity.”
John Heyman of MLB Network tweeted that marlins as well as Red remain involved, though it’s almost impossible to imagine Cincinnati re-signing Castellanos after such an aggressive payroll cut up to this point. Meanwhile, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald is back reports that despite the Marlins loving Castellanos, Miami isn’t going to sign Castellanos to a five-plus-year, $100 million or more contract.
9:45: One day after signing a four-year contract with Kyle SchwarberPhillies ‘seriously’ chasing fellow batsman Nick Castellanos, reports Jason Stark from The Athletic. John Morosi of MLB.com tweeted last night that Fils still showed some interest in Castellanos even after the addition of Schwarber. The signing would also no doubt push Philadelphia over the $230 million luxury tax threshold. Castellanos is represented by the Boras Corporation.
Castellanos, 30, became a free agent back in November after he exercised a opt-out clause and forfeited the remaining two years and $34 million on a four-year, $64 million contract with the Reds. The decision was eminently predictable, given the strength of its Cincinnati manufacturing facility. The Reds made a qualifying offer to Castellanos, which he naturally turned down, meaning he cost the Phillies their second-highest pick and $500,000 of their international bonus pool. The Reds, meanwhile, could get a compensatory pick after the 2022 first-round draft if Castellanos signs a contract worth more than $50 million in guaranteed money (which seems like a given). With a small chance that he signed for less, Cincinnati’s pick would be pushed back by about 40 picks (after Round B of the competitive balance).
Adding Castellanos to a roster that already includes current NL MVP Schwarber. Bryce HarperAll star catcher JT Realmutobatter Rhys Hoskins and consistently productive Jean Segura will give the Phillies potential for a dominant roster, especially if young talents like Alec Bohm and main perspective Bryson Stott can establish themselves as members of the major leagues. As a team, the 2021 Phillies were an average group, ranking 13th in the Majors in points scored (706), 15th in home runs (198), 18th in batting average (.240), 13th place in performance. -base percentage (.318), 14th in congestion percentage (.408) and 18th in wRC+ (93).
Castellanos, who apparently shared time with Schwarber between left field and a newly created National League hitter slot, just finished the best season of his major league career. In 585 games for the Reds, he hit .309/.362/.576 with a career-high 34 home runs. He doesn’t offer huge walking speed, but Castellanos lands at a below-average pace and is a constant source of high averages and slugging percentage.
Long a consistent and productive hitter in his original Tigers organization, Castellanos took his game to new heights after being traded to the Cubs in 2019. 64 home runs, 70 doubles and three triples in 1,052 games between Chicago and Cincinnati. That production is 34% better than the league average by wRC+ standards, and there’s little that looks random about it. Castellanos consistently posts over 40% hard hits and over 10% rate of fire, which, combined with his above-average batting skills, allows Statcast to rank him among the game’s leaders in expected average and expected hit percentage. annually.
Not all.