Given that Tigers slugger and trade chip Nicholas Castellanos has drawn little interest this offseason, they’re unlikely to move him until the deadline approaches in the summer, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press suggests. While the Dodgers have been prominently connected to Castellanos this winter, they’ve never seriously pursued the outfielder, according to Fenech, and now appear completely out on him after signing A.J. Pollock this week. Signs are pointing to Castellanos staying in Detroit into the 2019 campaign, then, and general manager Al Avila will need to be convinced the return for him in an in-season trade outweighs the draft compensation the team would receive by keeping the soon-to-be 27-year-old and issuing him a qualifying offer next winter. With that said, Fenech wonders if the Tigers would even risk offering a pricey QO to Castellanos, who may well accept it because his well-documented defensive troubles figure to tamp down his value on the open market.
More from the American League…
- Having signed Nelson Cruz, C.J. Cron and Jonathan Schoop, Blake Parker and Martin Perez this offseason, the Twins may not make any more notable strikes in free agency. Regardless, the Twins are hopeful they’ll be able to lock up some of their in-house talent for the foreseeable future, GM Thad Levine revealed Sunday (via Betsy Helfand of the Pioneer Press). “Without getting into names, we’re actively having some of those conversations behind the scenes and we as a club would like nothing more than to be able to announce one, two, three of those types of extensions at some point here in spring training,” Levine said. Speculatively speaking, some of the Twins’ extension candidates may include Byron Buxton, Eddie Rosario, Miguel Sano, Max Kepler, Jorge Polanco, Jose Berrios, Kyle Gibson and Jake Odorizzi. Minnesota did try to lock up Buxton, Rosario, Kepler and Berrios a year ago, though the former went on to endure a nightmarish season that ended in contentious fashion.
- Arm injuries kept Drew Smyly and Edinson Volquez from pitching at all in 2018 and limited Shelby Miller to just 16 innings. That trio’s now primed to occupy 60 percent of the Rangers’ rotation in 2019, though, and GM Jon Daniels issued encouraging updates on all three Sunday, TR Sullivan of MLB.com reports. “All have clean bills of health individually,” said Daniels, who did admit there’s risk in each case and Texas will need depth behind them in the event things go haywire. Smyly, a 2017 Tommy John surgery recipient whom the Rangers acquired from the Cubs this past November, hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2016; Volquez’s most recent big league outing came July 5, 2017, owing to TJ surgery; and Miller, who also underwent the procedure in 2017, dealt with further elbow problems last season. Additionally, none of those three have been world-beaters when they have been healthy enough to take the mound in recent years.
I say the Rangers try to get both Gio and Miley, just to add some solid inning eaters to the rotation and move one or two of those guys to the bullpen to ease into a spot starter position… With Miley and Gio… Rangers projected rotation would be… Minor, Gonzalez, Lynn, Miley, Miller… With Both Volquez and Smyly in the bullpen as depth who can do starts if someone in the rotation goes down… and to go along with Chavez who can start… that may or may not be a “solid” rotation of guys who could give the rangers maybe late 70s of wins… maybe 77 wins? Also if the entire teams does well it could be good enough to fight for a playoff berth into mid September
There’s zero chance of the Rangers making the playoffs. They’ll be lucky if one of Smyly/Volquez/Miller pitches well or even finishes the season. The one who does pitch well will be traded at the deadline. I wish them luck but they are 2-3 years away.
Now, I didn’t say they were going to the playoffs, I said if everyone plays well, they might be able to fight for a playoff berth into mid September then fall off because the rangers are known for choking late into the season
And if everyone on the Orioles had played well last year they wouldn’t have lost 115 games
I agree with revolt
The oriels just suck
Orioles*
Zero chance meaning Vegas wouldn’t even issue odds. No chance of THAT.
Why haven’t fans figured out how bad teams should operate? Blue print has been drawn by the Astros and cubs
Thank you!
Because it’s a crappy blueprint, and one I hope Major League Baseball takes serious measures to disincentivize in the near future.
Tanking may pay off for some teams, but it’s terrible for the sport. If MLB doesn’t watch out, it will end up like the NBA where only the top third of the league’s teams can actually contend and the bottom third isn’t even trying to compete.
Looking forward to the not to distant future when Ariel Jurado is going to be a fixture in the rotation.
I can stand by that. Jurado looks like a breakout
Think the Tigers are handling this poorly. Even if Castellanos declines the QO there’s no guarantee that he would get a $50 million contract. He seems like the type of above average player, but not a star, that is frequently severely adversely affected by being attached to draft pick compensation. The tigers are going to have to move off their asking price or they’re going to run the risk of getting nothing.
I disagree. The Tigers don’t have to trade Nick Castellanos. They need to establish a good core and if they don’t get what they want, keep him. No need to accept inferior players for a quality one. The should motivate Castellanos to work on his defense.
Here’s an idear….. Since Castellanos is only 26 and considering it’s plausible that the Tigers could be competitive in the AL Central in 3 seasons which would be NC’s age 29 season, why don’t they just see out the investment they made in 2010 & extend him to a 6-7 year deal which would be expiring as he’s coming out of his prime & not really old by any means! It almost seems like that’s what you want to do with players you’ve groomed since the get go but call me crazy…
Lol
3 years seems generous
I was thinking 5 years at $13M per year.=$65M
6-7 year deal for a guy who is pretty much a DH now? Good lord must hate the tigers.
I think there’s some interesting stuff in Castellano’s batted-ball profile that are very appealing. His launch angle and hard-hit rate are very very similar to that of JD Martinez – eerily similar, in fact. I think the Tigers want to make sure they don’t make the same mistake with Castellanos they did with JDM, which was to trade him with some untapped value there, then watch him blossom with better coaching. Detroit’s getting better about that kind of stuff; they werre behind most of the game in incorporating an advanced analytics department, and that’s sort-of how they ended up where they are now. But by now they certainly see that Castellanos is an intriguing bat, even without a defensive position.
Cygnus, I agree with your thinking. So much negative light being placed on his defense all of a sudden. He will gradually learn to play outfield. His defense at third was probably a sign of the young pitchers giving up rockets
First off, Castellanos won’t get a QO. People say he’s got a high salary now and it’s under $10 mil. They won’t offer him a one year $20 mil contract.
So, I agree, extend him. Offer him a nice 6 year contract with opt outs in case he really gets good. He can be their right fielder through this rebuild. That’s one position you won’t need to worry about.
They might be decent in 3 years. They have 3b covered with Candelario. Left with Stewart. Right with Nick. Miggy at DH. They have some solid defensive middle infielders in Castro and Alcantara. Lugo and Paeredes as options up the middle with power. Cameron in center and Morgan at catcher. They have a very decent lineup coming up.
They are very deep in pitching prospects. Mize, Manning, Faedo, Perez, and Burrows are all going to be up in the next 3 years. Plus they still have Boyd and Fulmer and maybe Norris.
If some of the prospects develop over the next couple years, they could sign a couple top free agents and you never know how the team might be in 3 years.
Last rebuild did’nt take long. Signed Pudge in (04), Magglio in (05), traded Urbina to Philly for Polanco (05), Two rookies made the team out of spring camp, named Verlander & Zumaya(06).
I agree. I think you may be a little optimistic on prospects, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.. There is help coming, but no one coming up is going to replace the offensive output of Castellanos. Would be awesome if they could get him for 5-7 years at 12-15 million. He is surely worth half of what Miggy is from a cost perspective.
You guys are nuts. Nick isn’t the answer. Flip him.
“You guys are nuts. Nick isn’t the answer. Flip him.”
He’s the answer if you ask the right question… “who would you rather have in your outfield… Mikie Mahtook or Nick Castellanos?” You won’t get much in a trade… might as well keep him.
Hahahahahah thanks for playing
I think the Tigers have tried to extend him. He’s going for free agency his first opportunity.
Buxton is a poor man’s BJ Upton. Can’t even bat his weight and complains about not being handed the job. If I’m Minnesota, I trade him for anything I can get.
Upton was never a rich mans anything. Buxton is at the very least an elite defender.
BJ Upton had a 6 year peak worth 22 WAR. He was a well above average player for more than a half decade. Put some respect on that man’s name.
The Braves made sure B.J. Upton was a very rich man.
And he names his son Brixton? That’s just cruel…..
Buxton is a poor man’s poor man’s poor man.
Regarding castallenos he is best suited for al as a dh or 1st baseman his defense is terrible and what he would cost finacially and trade capital make him a candiate to be attained next offseason for just dollars.
Also twins are still terrible even with all there moves this offseason the only quality piece they have is rosaro. Need to start rebuilding and move on from buston and sano.
His track record on offense isn’t elite as such to make him a good enough player to give up something of significant value for. Sure, they’ll get something for him, but not much. No glove all bat guys are of low value, especially when you’re not one that’s at least a .875 OPS.
Strange that he’s not an elite outfielder. He came through the Tigers system as a 3rd sacker. The more reps he gets in the outfield, will help his fielding. I hate the war stat, players that play through injurys & stay on the field get crushed.
Defence peaks early. It is not likely Castellanos improves as a defender. It is more likely he moves into a more full time DH role.
Actually, Castellanos played just about as much OF(181 games) as 3B(210 games) in the minors. The problem then, and now, is that he was terrible at both positions and the Tigers kept moving him, trying to find him a defensive home. WAR would only crush an injured player playing through the injury if that meant he became a bad player, which happens a lot when players think they can play through injury.
Defense doesn’t ALWAYS peak early; Brooks Robinson was an above average fielder until about age 30 when he became way above average, but unlike Castellanos, he showed improvement along the way. I do think OF peak a lot earlier than INF.
Thanks for the info on Nick’s minor league stats. I think sometimes managers will keep a player on the field(hurting), just to keep his bat in the lineup. Perhaps Nick’s minor outfield coaching wasn’t top notch. Maybe taking better routes, major league coaching will improve him.
Baltimore had that weak left side defense, with Robinson & Belanger.
To the tune of Galveston:
Arlington, oh, Arlington,
I still hear of your Rangers blowing,
Ever since Nolan Ryan’s going,
Into ranching with his son, when he left Arlington
Ya, but can you re-lyricize “Where’s the Playground, Suzie?”…..since we’re doing Jimmy Webb songs……
Of course, Suzie wasn’t as well known as “Galveston” or “Wichita Lineman” or “Up, Up and Away” or “MacArthur Park”…(talented boy, that Jimmy)…..but I digress…..I’m just A Tramp Shining…….
Rangers lost their good karma when they lost Nolan Ryan. Yes, it’s a thing…..
Quit not your day job.
– I think a Berrios extension seems obvious at this point…
– I could go either way on Rosario. Immediate future? Yes. Long term? No, unless the price is lower than I expect it to be.
– Please do no give up on Buxton or Sano yet. At the same time, please do not jump the gun either.
– Honestly, Kepler may be the Twin’s most interesting extension candidate (and possible bargain) as he may be on the verge of Yelich-like season.
– With Lewis, Gordon, and Javier all inching closer to the majors, signing Polanco to extension right now may not make much sense.
– Regardless of what they did in 2018, neither Gibson or Odorizzi really intrigue me as an extension candidates as I think we’ve already seen the best of them.
Yelich was the NL MVP. Kepler hit .224 last season. That would be a monumental turn around! Like insane. Let’s come back down to earth.
I think the Yelich-Kepler comparison isn’t as bad as you think it is. Yelich is obviously better, even pre-MVP version, but Kepler is much better than his stats indicate. I think he may have a breakout all-star season in 2019. And if he figures out the concept of balance, who knows with him. I think the sky is the limit.
If he can consistently hit against left and right handed pitching, he will be good. Hopefully the hitting coaches csn help him figure it out
If he can hit against R & L pitching…isn’t that the goal for literally every player? Lol
Lol yup
Sano is one repeat performance from being non-tendered. Buxton is one repeat performance from being a 4th outfielder. Those are not the guys the Twins should be locking up, and yes, the Twins should absolutely be planning on giving up on them if they don’t perform this year. Both players have long track records of disappointing play along with having major durability issues.
Rosario makes perfect sense. Solid 3 win player with some upside and only 2 more years of control left after this one.
I’m sure the Twins would love to steal a couple years of free agency from Berrios, but I doubt he’s going to jump on that, but he’d probably let the Twins buy out his 3 arbitration years.
Kepler remains intriguing, but the ceiling is quickly falling. His stock value is pretty low at the moment and he’s got all 3 arbitration years ahead so the Twins wouldn’t be offering him much. If Kepler has a great season, his contract value increases immensely so it’s probably stupid to take anything now.
The only person anxiously waiting that Rangers rotation is unfortunately the team physician.
And the teams that will play against them. They’re gonna give up lots of homers.
I was referring to Yelich’s days as a Marlin, and as a best case scenario.
lol what. nah you meant his last season. don’t double down because you realize how dumb the comparison is.
I don’t understand how the Tigers expect to get such a haul back for Castellanos. 3 WAR players don’t grow on trees and he’s certainly a good hitter, but his wRC+ was only a few points higher than CJ Cron last year, and the Rays got rid of him for literally nothing.
No team is going to pay his inflated arbitration salary and give up legitimate prospects to do it. There are too many players of his type already, almost all of whom could be had for a lot less than what the Tigers seem to want.
The Tigers don’t have to force it either.
^^^this
You don’t set the market price at what he’s actually worth. You set it higher so when it’s negotiated down you’re still getting value. I seriously question the commenters on this site…
Castellanos For Trout. The Angels pay all of Trouts salary. Seems like everyone wins.
Everyone except the Angels and Trout.
That’s the joke
Have the Angels throw in Adell and we’ll think about it
As a Tigers fan, I would try to package Casty and Blaine Hardy and see if someone would give us a top 100 prospect for him, even if it’s in the 51-100 area. Doesn’t seem too unrealistic.
The tigers couldn’t even get a top 100 player for JD, there’s no way they get one for castellanos who is a worse hitter and fielder than Martinez
That was for half a season of JD as opposed to a whole season of Casty and a solid lefty like Hardy whos under control for three more seasons. Heck, if San Diego can a top 30 prospect in Mejia for two friggin relief pitchers, I dont see this being too far fetched.
The difference is that one of those relievers was Brad Hand
Yeah, a lefty relief pitcher. And…….
Lol Blaine Hardy sucks…next
Lol Hardy does not suck. Check his number 4 out of his 5 years, including last year……..next
Brad Hand is much better than Blaine Hardy. If Detroit was offered a top 100 prospect, they should have jumped at it. I seriously doubt they get one for a player who is poor defensively and likely a DH.
I cannot imagine any team is interested in the tigers player
No glove and a bat with a large salary
Castellanos is consistent with the glove, no matter how you do the stats, so there’s a high probability that what you see is what you’ll get for the rest of his career. If his value is not that high, why not just extend him for that value? DH him for the 40+ games Miggy will sit, stick him in LF and live with it. It’s not as if he’ll cost them THAT many games and with a good CF, it will be even less.
Stewart is gonna be in LF this year for us. I say maybe try Casty at 1B for the games Miggy doesn’t play.
It’s when you guys throw out words like “extend” when talking about Castellanos I can tell you’re having trouble coming to terms with what the team is doing. Just forget about 2019-2022 and enjoy your summer. Pictured Rock is beautiful in July.
Tigers: Playoffs in 2021
How are they going to do that? Detroit needs so much in order to contend.
I would feel better about the Twins post season’s light spending if they did manage to lock up a few of their current players to long-term contracts.
Twins fans seem to be living in 2015 in regard to a lot of the players’ value.
Big Tiger need in my opinion; Leadoff hitter( high obp 360-375), (speed), (low strikeout- like Polanco was), (higher slugging avg. .425- .460).
I dont think the Twins are going to realistically compete in the AL WC or the Central but Schoop, Cruz, Parker etc. could be excellent deadline chips
Castellano will be a 300, 30, 100 guy in just about any other stadium besides CoAmerica Park