With the July 31 deadline around the corner and the Tigers out of contention, soon-to-be free-agent right fielder Nicholas Castellanos ranks among their clearest trade chips. Castellanos’ Tigers tenure may end in a matter of weeks, which he seems to realize.
The 27-year-old Castellanos was candid Friday when speaking about his future with reporters (including Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic and Evan Woodbery of MLive.com). Asked if he expects the Tigers to make an effort to extend him this season, Castellanos stated: “I don’t have a college education. But I can pick up the pieces and put a puzzle together. I’m not saying that this is 100% what it’s going to be, but if I’m a gambling man, I don’t see (the Tigers) offering me an extension at this point in time.”
Castellanos, a career-long Tiger who joined the franchise as the 44th pick in the 2010 draft, has surpassed the fading Miguel Cabrera as the team’s biggest offensive threat in recent years. Dating back to his 2016 breakout, Castellanos has slashed .282/.333/.489 (118 wRC+) with 74 home runs in 2,068 plate appearances. But Castellanos hasn’t matched his above-average offense with appealing defense, which is surely a key reason why rebuilding Detroit isn’t interested in keeping him around for the long haul. Castellanos’ defensive limitations will also prove deleterious on the trade market, where the Tigers may not get much for him, and when he hits free agency in the offseason.
Castellanos was a third baseman at the outset of his major league career, but after posting minus-64 Defensive Runs Saved at the hot corner from 2014-17, the Tigers moved him to the outfield. That experiment hasn’t gone well either, as Castellanos has added another minus-30 DRS in fewer than 2,000 innings of action. In fairness to Castellanos, his 2019 defensive numbers – while still not in the plus category – far outweigh last year’s brutal output.
Eventually, Castellanos may be a candidate to shift to first base. He rejected a move there late in 2018 when the Tigers requested it, as Woodbery notes, but would have been willing to make the switch had they tried to extend him.
“I told them, if you offer me an extension and show me that I’m a piece of the future, I’ll play first,” he said. “I’ll even throw bullpens for you. But give me that security.”
It’s clear Castellanos isn’t going to receive the “security” he’s seeking from the Tigers. His run in Detroit figures to conclude this summer as a result.
Is the fact he only has 7 homers but leads the league in doubles directly correlated to playing in Detroit?
This actually is very old news reiterated in a new article.
Oh man this guy better hope and pray he gets traded. I can just see the simpletons complaining now about nick getting a QO turning it down and saying free agency is broken instead of blaming the flawed players agent.
Siding with you man
You’re both corpoyshid
Corporate shills
Every player is completely replaceable and it’s not debatable
I mean sure, in the sense that if they leave someone has to play their position.
He would be mad as a hatter to turn down the QO
Coming off of last year, I disagree. If this year continues though he shouldn’t even get one.
I see a minor league deal in his future…..
He’s not getting a QO. No way that happens.
The guy is being paid millions of dollars yet won’t play the position asked of him. Absolutely ridiculous. He is being paid by the Tigers, it should not be debatable whether or not he’ll play first.
They could respond by benching him. Nope, in this situation player had leverage.
Also, playing competently at first base (as opposed to everywhere else in the field where he is useless) would have raised his value going into free agency.
Seems that college would, in fact, not have been a quality use of his time.
You are talking about a guy who was signed as a shortstop, moved to third, then LF, then back to third, then back to LF, then RF, all at the teams request. All that happened by the time he was 26! The Tigers move to first base was only an in season move after Cabrera was hurt when Castellanos is on the verge of his first big free agent contract. Of course he said no after working all winter and spring to move to RF.
Yes, and you’re talking about a player whose job is to play baseball. He’s making $9m this year, and he can’t be flexible enough to move 100ft closer to the dugout? It’s a game of baseball, not chef to dishwasher.
Also those moves were at the request of the team in response to his atrocious defense.
I’m confused. Does his current contract call for him to play the outfield? Assuming that it doesn’t what happens if the manager fills out the lineup card with him at first? Does he just say he’s not playing today?
Can’t they then fine him for conduct detrimental to the team? I would think that would not help his impending FA status.
I mean, they could make him, he wouldn’t just say “no I don’t feel like playing today.” But they obviously haven’t made him do anything yet. It’s been more of a “Look, Nick, we really want to move you to first, we’d like you to take some grounders there.” And Nick says “No thanks, I’ve had to learn 3 completely new positions for you since you drafted me, I want to get good at one before I try another again.”
AA: Nick, we want to put you at 1B for the month of September, to show other teams you have versatility in the field. That way I can maybe I won’t get completely robbed as I do in most trades.
Nick: I’m a Tiger. I’m the only guy who can stay on the roster over 100 games while hitting over .200, I’d like to stick around.
Fans: WWMID?
Will the real AA please stand up?!
Castellanos is a prime example of how the Tigers need to get better at player development. Had the Tigers been more decisive when he was in the minors and developed him there, he’d likely be an average MLB defender by now.
I don’t blame Nick for not wanting to move to 1B in the last year of his contract knowing the team didn’t want him long term. He said he was willing to do anything to help the team if they invested in him. They didn’t, so after moving from SS to 3B to LF back to 3B again in Toledo, then to LF in Detroit, back to 3B after the failed Miggy to 3B experiment, then finally settled on RF, he was working hard with Kaline to improve there. But then a year later…hey, can you play 1B now?
Don’t blame Nick for realizing his value is in RF since the Tigers brass didn’t
I wish I had read your post before I made mine. You said the same thing, only better.
Thank you. Sorry, I hadn’t read your post first. I restated what you already said.
You were an hour ahead of me. My fault. I wrote mine before reading all the comments. If I had, I wouldn’t have posted. You said everything that needed to be said.
Ummm …
Properly developing a player does not guarantee defensive success. It’s pretty obvious he lacks the tools to be useful with the glove. Moving him around is tough but you can’t keep running out a player when he is awful. You need to try something else.
As for not trying 1B – horrible move. It could have only helped his case (positional flexibility, good team player). If he was bad, oh well. Not going to hurt anything – just another experiment showing he shouldn’t be on the field.
And teams would be crazy to “invest” in him. The guy is sporting a 109 wRC+ over his career. One really solid year at 130. For a guy that has negative defensive value and limited offensive appeal he’s worth virtually nothing. He’s a one year $5-$10m dollar player as a FA.
When you see and hear this interview, the guy is going to be lifelong bitter over this. He mouths all the right phrases (“it’s a business”) but he doesn’t believe them. It’s obvious that he is having his heart broken.
There is a giant lack of self-awareness here. Picking Boras is Exhibit A of that.
As a Tigers fan, I really want to see Nick extended. At worst, he’s a doubles machine and a pretty good 6 hitter. At best, he’s a middle of the lineup threat who can put 30 balls out of the yard, drive in 100, and hit .300. He’s a hard worker, he’s loyal, and his defense has gotten a lit better.
he couldve stayed most likely if he moved to first.he didnt wanna do that.so this is the ramifications of his descion.
Maybe I’m crazy but I could see teams approaching him in the off season with offers to play 1B or DH. I don’t think 3 years 25m is out of the question. If for some strange reason Detroit does offer him a QO, which I highly doubt, he’d be absolutely insane not to accept it.
its always an adventure with him in the outfield.he was involved with both fly balls hitting the ground.if they get a pail of baseball’s for him id be happy.