JANUARY 7: The Texas organization has not even met with Castellanos or made him an offer, a team official tells Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. That’s an unusual and rather direct dispute of a simple factual point — i.e., whether or not a meeting has occurred.
The Rangers to hold some interest in Castellanos, per the more recent report, but it’s predicated on utilizing him at first base rather than in the outfield. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News also explored this concept yesterday. It’s said to be possible the club could add both Castellanos and Todd Frazier, with the latter slated primarily for action at third.
Meanwhile, Rangers president of baseball operations Jon Daniels says that the team isn’t focused on adding a center fielder. Joey Gallo isn’t expected to line up there primarily, says Wilson. Rather, it seems Danny Santana will be given a chance to build off of his surprising 2019 showing.
The focus at present, according to Wilson, isn’t necessarily all that splashy. Texas wishes to improve its roster options behind the dish, at first base, and in the relief corps.
JANUARY 6: The Rangers have emerged as a finalist to sign free-agent outfielder Nicholas Castellanos, Jon Morosi of MLB.com reports. The two sides had a recent meeting that went well, according to Morosi.
The soon-to-be 27-year-old Castellanos came into the offseason as one of the best position players on the open market. The top of the free-agent list has rapidly emptied out since then, leaving Castellanos among the few players on the board with significant earning power. MLBTR predicted a four-year, $58MM payday for Castellanos when free agency commenced, but with many FAs raking in more money than expected this offseason, that could prove to be a light projection in his case.
Along with the Rangers – who have been active in upgrading their pitching staff but haven’t done much to better their offense – the White Sox, Cubs, Giants, Diamondbacks and Marlins have been connected to Castellanos in the rumor mill. But the White Sox may be out of the mix after landing outfielder Nomar Mazara (previously a Ranger), re-signing first baseman/designated hitter Jose Abreu and adding another 1B/DH in Edwin Encarnacion. The Cubs – with whom Castellanos finished last season after a trade with the Tigers – aren’t in big-spending mode, which could cost them Castellanos. The Diamondbacks addressed their corner outfield by signing Kole Calhoun, meanwhile, and the Marlins did so when they picked up Corey Dickerson.
All things considered, it’s not surprising the Rangers appear to be among the front-runners for Castellanos. The club’s rotation looks a lot better now that Corey Kluber, Kyle Gibson and Jordan Lyles are aboard, but its offense has seemingly taken a step back with Mazara (who was disappointing as a Ranger, granted) and free agent Hunter Pence gone. Based on his track record at the plate over the past few seasons, Castellanos would help Texas’ cause. But whether Castellanos would play passable defense is always in question, and his shortcomings in the field are a key reason he’s still available.
It would be a great signing for Texas.
What does every think his contract will be? I think 4- years $80 million. Similar to Ryu. Maybe even longer term considering he is only 27. 5 years $100 million possibly?
I honestly think he will get more years but could be wrong. He’s 27 I don’t no why he couldn’t or wouldn’t get a 5-7 year deal especially in the AL
Because he doesnt have a defensive position and teams dont go huge on bat only players anymore. And there aren’t alot of teams involved to drive price up. Of the 6 teams linked to him, 4 have gone in another direction only leaving the rangers and giants
I could see an NL team being a little hesitant but he can play rf, LF, third, dh and probably be moved to 1st. He’s young enough to improve defensively. He clearly seems motivated to win and play for a contender. 151 ops + for the cubs last year. He was an elite hitter down the stretch. If I was a team that needed some hitting, outside of rendon, this is the guy I’d hitch my wagon to this offseason.
They don’t want another 2011 Nelson Cruz…
He may be “young enough to improve”, but he’s going to be 27 by Opening Day and has had 6 years in the majors to be a FA. Doubtful he will become significantly better if he hasn’t already done so.
Fortunately for Castellanos the Rangers have never cared about defense.
He’s had over 7,000 defensive innings in the Majors already – he isn’t going to suddenly make defensive improvements, at least not enough to offset how bad he actually is. People have been saying “he can improve” for years.
Besides, defensive aging curves are shown to drop-off earlier than hitting. He is what he is now.
Starlin Castro was an even better hitter down the stretch… are you going to attach your wagon to him as well?
Castellanos certainly picked a good time to get hot (after a trade) so GM’s and fans have excuse to believe his hot streak was something more than just a player getting hot.
I also hate to be the bringer of bad news but Castellanos can play third about as well as Kyle Schwarber… i.e. he cannot. I watched him as a Cub and I promise you, his defense in the outfield is OVERRATED. I honestly do not know if he hit more doubles or turned more singles into doubles with his poor jumps, route taking and ball transfers.
Play 80-90 games in the outfield and maybe 10-12 in the infield and a chunk at dh. Very manageable. Starlin Castro had an ops+ of 94 last year. He didn’t sniff castellanos. Castellanos had Ops + 121 and 151 for the Cubs. Castro has been league average his entire career. Not saying he will be a gold glove but he can at least not hurt you in the outfield for the foreseeable future.
Every team cares about defense
And I can guarantee you that I’ve likely watched Castellanos more than you did with the Cubs – and I can assure you that he did a decent job defensively in RF.
Maybe, but any NL team would still be better off signing Ozuna instead…well, unless (the Cardinals being the exception) they really don’t want to lose a draft pick.
Castellanos might not be a superstar but one thing I really don’t get is why so many people in the chats on this site say they would rather have Ozuna over Castellanos. Castellanos is a right fielder and Ozuna is a left field only guy. Call me crazy, but a guy like Ozuna whose arm is so weak that he has to be relegated to an inferior defensive position than Castellanos can’t be the favorite because of his defense, right? I am sure Ozuna is better at catching the ball but you don’t want to lock up a position like left field for a guy that hits as lame as he has the past 2 years. Especially once you consider the juiced ball and the fact that left field is a great place to move up and coming prospects that aren’t great defensively but can whack the ball all over the place. Castellanos is multiple years younger than Ozuna. Over the past 2 years Castellanos has been a FAR superior hitter to Ozuna. Castellanos has a MUCH better outfield arm than Ozuna. Castellanos doesn’t come with the draft pick compensation Ozuna does (only due to his midseason trade). Castellanos is routinely plays at a more difficult defensive position than Ozuna is even capable of playing. How can anyone want Ozuna over Castellanos for his defense when Ozuna isn’t even defensively capable of handling Castellanos tougher position?
I do believe once Manfred ‘gets around’ to making the call on Bryant’s contract length, moves will be made and Castellanos will end up being a Cub.
Longer this plays out, more likely that’s what will happen.
5 years for 90-95.
40% less than Donaldsons and thats why he hadnt signed yet. But now knowing JD want 4/110. Do the math. 4/66mil I’d say his next contract.
What other hitters does Texas have? They traded Mazara and the only other person I can think of off the top of my head is Gallo.
The Rangers have 4 guys all better than Mazara. Choo, Elvis, Calhoun, Solak
Calhoun is a stud, I saw him play in Triple A in 2018.
Yes Calhoun was on pace for a 40 home season with an ops of about .850, so yes he is good.
Plays darned good defense, too.
Elvis showed some regression this year. Choose is in twilight of his career, and as good as solak and Calhoun and even danny Santana were last year, they are unproven in being able to do it consistently year in, year year out.
Calhoun and Solak are the better hitters in that lineup. Gallo still has the bad tendency to strikeout in as many hits he makes. Choo and Elvis are declining in the hit stats as they become one year older.
Trout was unproven of being able to hit year in and year out after his first season, too.
Gallo showed improvement this year before injury. Still has to prove it wasnt a fluke, and improve a bit more. His strikeouts still need more improving, but he does take enough walks to have an pretty good obp but the slugging pct, athleticism, and versatility are among best in game.
Gallo is the only one on offense who would crack most championship-caliber lineups. Other than Choo who is still a good on-base guy, the rest of the Rangers lineup would be role players on any other team if they made the 26-man roster at all.
This take was so stupid that I finally created an account after following this platform for over 4 years to point out how bad of a take it is. Do you watch baseball beyond just in the world of your own team? Such a bad take. Such a BAD TAKE.
Texas should get the deal done. 4/60 would be fair. Trade for Bryant.
I think he’ll get 5/80 the way this offseason is going… probably one of the steadiest hitters out there, especially when you consider he played in a pitchers ballpark in Det and on bad teams.. we saw what he did when he went to the cubs
What he did when he went to the Cubs was simply balance out what had been to that point an underperforming season.
wRC+ from 2016-2018:
2016: 119
2017: 111
2018: 130
Then in 2019, his sum performance between the two teams was 121.
w/DET (439 PA): 105
w/ChC (225 PA): 154
That kind of “change” happens all the time in baseball. He had a relatively weak first half, but a great second half (111/ 134 split). It just so happens that much of his second half was with a different team than his first half. And even then, almost all of his ‘improved’ hitting with the Cubs was just his especially hot August (176 wRC+ vs 127 in September — that 127 number being right in line with his end-season line). Suffice it to say, it is the norm in baseball for players to have a very hot month and one half better than the other. It just so happens that in this case, it coincided with a team change, as well.
Now, given that he’s just entering his prime (2020 is his age-20 season), it is less likely to see him decline in production and would be reasonable to project a plateau leap from his current ~120 self. To a team that thinks he can be serviceable-to-good at 1B as opposed to his bad-to-below-average 3B/ COF, I’d say go for it.
Full stat profile: fangraphs.com/players/nicholas-castellanos/11737/s…
2019 Splits: fangraphs.com/players/nicholas-castellanos/11737/s…
“MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi reported Monday that Texas recently met with free agent Nicholas Castellanos and is among the frontrunners to sign him. ”
Jon Paul Morosi
Why let him leave Chicago?!?! Ugh
Because the owner is crying poor.
The owner is crying poor!?! ? Have you seen the team’s payroll? 3rd highest in baseball last year and had to pay a multi-million dollar luxury tax on a team that didn’t make the playoff’s. Your statement hold’s no water.
Ouuuu one of the teams wealthiest and most profitable teams had to pay a couple million to bring their hundreds of millions in revenue down. Surprised they don’t just fold the franchise instead.
No. Just stop it. When you have one of the three highest payrolls in baseball, money isnt the problem but you have the expectation for some reason that the Ricketts should just keep pooring money in. Spoiled brat Cubs fan.
Important to remember that revenues are not profits. There are many other things besides player salaries that a team has to spend on.and those eat up a lot of the rest.
“Crying poor” means the owner baselessly saying they don’t have the money. Owners can — and do — cry poor even with record-breaking profits. It’s the phrase used to show we recognize it as an excuse.
As such, everything you bring up is, in fact, evidence in favor of crumpy24’s statement.
Now, whether Cubs ownership really does have the funds to retain Castellanos if interested or not is a separate matter.
You mean running a business? Seems to be more an issue of a lot of bad contracts.
Because Theo has spent a fortune on under-performing veteran’s. He’s put this team in a terrible spot with his spending.
It’s also the poor planning unless the owners lowered the budget which I see no evidence of. Front offices plan out payrolls and lineups a few years in advance. What is happening now with the Cubs is on Theo and the front office.
Going all in to win a WS is not poor planning. Not at all a cubs fan but you have to look at it like that. Yes he missed on Hayward, a grotesque overpay. We’ll see on Yu, probably a miss there as well. But he made moves that were needed to win that WS and really push for another. No they’re in a position where they have to pay the piper. It happens, it’s not necessarily poor planning this probably was the plan. 3-5 year window then a 1-3 year minor rebuild.
Lmcpeeks, giving up their best prospect to rent a closer for the playoffs is excusable. And it paid off for Theo. But I’m sure your lack of interest in the Cubs is causing you to miss the many mistakes Theo has made after the WS win. Why sign Kimbrel to a big contract of money is tight? What about the bad contracts to Tyler Chatwood, Brandon Morrow and Daniel Descalso. What about trading two of their best prospects for Jose Quintana.
Theo sank this team fast.
I see that. More accurately, the failure of player development is the bigger issue than the actual planning and a reason why it was completely revamped this offseason. I still do not see the Ricketts at fault here.
Some of those other moves since the championship, like acquiring Quintana for Eloy and Cease, signing Chatwood, signing Morrow, picking up Hamels option and signing Kimbrel are a direct result of their player development failures and not so much planning.
Aren’t Lester chatwood and Q all coming off the books after this season? Other expiring contracts? Maybe locking Castellanos up for 4 years isn’t a bad idea, especially if you could move schwarber for a decent return.
The window would’ve been longer had they actually developed some pitching beyond just Hendricks, though.
Spot on! As a Reds fan I was happy to see Cubs win the WS. I was still happy for em til I found this site and came to terms how short sided so many of their fans are. Their parents and grandparents have never experienced a WS yet Theo won em one. Who cares that it was at the expense of your future. Thats what it took to finally win one! Be grateful.
Theo Epstein took two cursed franchises and made em world series champs. That makes him one of the best at what he does to say the least. I’d be thrilled to have him for GM for life in Cincy.
“As a Reds fan, I was happy to see Cubs win the WS”
As a longtime Reds fan, I cannot fathom what one has to do with the other. I’ve hated the Cubs for 40 years.
Or you could just extend Schwarber since the two profile quite similarly at the plate (though Schwarber has never been notably below average in a COF slot and is a year younger).
Theo won Cubbie a WS. That said, he’s a one and done.
Take the money out of Theo’s pocket to sign NC!
because he has no clear positional fit.
Yep. If the NL just had that “Hop on, I’ll carry you guys” position available.
You’re right. Because watching pitchers who bat <.100 come up to the plate with runners on and 2 outs is always a blast.
Nobody says they have to hit. You can always pinch hit
Rumor around dallas is they plan to try him at 1st and see if another year in minors helps Guzman, but that could be acc disaster waiting to happen for everybody
i mean at the very least Texas has the DH, so he can be rotated between OF, 3B, DH, and perhaps even 1B. at the very least rotating his position makes it harder for the opposing team to think up one strategy to exploit his defensive flaws.
He won’t I still say the cubs will break out the cash and sign him $100 million for 5 years
Lowly Cubs broke.
This has been discussed over and over.
When the FO goes to the owner for more money, all they here is “cRicketts”.
At the end of the 2018 season Theo said our offense is broke-As in failing to hit and score runs. This off season Mr. Ricketts said the organization is broke-As in No Money!
Come on Reds! Are you really going to let the best hitter left sign somewhere else? He was one of the best hitters available in the first place and is only 27.
Maybe the Reds are seeing what Castellanos gets on the market before going after Ozuna? If they get Ozuna then they should really consider going all in on Lindor.
MOOKIE BETTS and Lindor.
That would basically cost them their home grown talent in the majors currently and deplete their farm
It’s an absolute joke if the Reds aren’t in on Nicky C. He’s a gamer and an offensive juggernaut. And his defense has gotten better, which will play just fine in a smaller park like ours. Not to mention he’s a RF, which I want to see an upgrade because we’re trying to contend and I don’t want to take the risk that Aquino’s more Wily Mo Pena than Eric Davis as his minor league stats suggest.
He has a career OPS+ of 113 and has averaged 1.5 WAR per year. Not exactly a juggernaut.
And you just proved one of the many reasons why WAR is a joke. Castellanos instantly makes any lineup better, period.
Castellinos WAR is low because he isnt a good defender. The glove contributes too. Just look at J.D Martinez WAR or any player that spends a significant amount of time at DH. WAR is just fine. It’s you that needs to change.
Plus idk why people look at career sabermetric numbers when this guy has shown last few years where his real numbers are progressing to… averaging just over 120 OPS+ last four years and when he left Det it obviously jumped significantly
And you base this on what, exactly? After all, WAR wasn’t the only evidence against the “juggernaut” claim you brought up. For a corner guy, a 113 OPS+ is quite middling.
He had one “juggernaut” month last year (August).
Several things.
1. Did… you really just piss on sabermetrics and then use a sabermetric number as your own evidence?
2. A 120 OPS+ is marginally decent for a COF/ DH type (especially a very poor defender). Put into appropriate context (ie: against other COF and DHs), 120 is well within league average (generally DH- 115, RF- 120, LF- 110, if I recall correct). Add in that Castellanos is a very poor defender even amongst that group
3. He didn’t jump significantly when he went to the Cubs. He had a really hot August (174 wRC+). Then, his September was right back in line with his recent performance (127 wRC+). He’s a solid hitter, yes. Juggernaut? No. Good, bat-first piece on a team that can use him appropriately as such? Yes. Juggernaut? No.
What this is really about is that I’m certain you’re just abusing the term “juggernaut”, and I’m fairly certain that is the case for others, as well.
This list of the top-30 wRC+ hitters (qualified) shows some whom I can reasonably see as “juggernauts”. Not all of them. In fact, I would reserve that to say… those who put a ≥150 wRC+ over a full season (just only because there’s then a 7-point drop from there and large bunched-up group of players right around 140):
fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&…
Castellanos doesn’t make that list. His September (127 — marginally above his full season average) wouldn’t make the top-30. Only his August would. I can’t help but conclude that your “juggernaut” judgment of him is based on just one really, really hot month in which he coincidentally joined a new team.
Hello Mrs. Castellanos. Say hi to your “juggernaut” for us.
If you could post memes here I’d be doing the villain from X-Men 3 saying “I’m the Juggernaut, B****”
Castellanos also has no clear fit on the Reds.
Reds went and spoke to Castellanos after they signed Moose and didn’t sign him- odds are its bc what Reds were willing to offer and Castellanos wanted to play in cincy (if he would even consider it all) were way off. So they both moved on and there’s been no chatter since and Reds spent a big chunk on another outfielder. Only way Castellanos comes into play is if Reds Trade Senzel. Even then Ozuna seems to be the target.
i wish he could stay in chicago for either the cubs or the sox
Why would he go to the white Sox? They’re a 3rd or worse team
Not a Sox fan but how can you possibly think they’ll be worse than 3rd? I think they’re in the WC conversation comprised as they are.
Overpaid every one they signed. Outside of Giolito and Cease (once he makes his ML debut) They dont have much after that. Gave a guy 50 mil who hasn’t played a single game in the Majors. It’s the Twins division to lose. Between Minnesota and Cleveland
Cease made his ML debut last season. Who hurt you?
im not as sold on Nick’s bat as some are, but i think a 4 year deal is feasible in the AL.
His defense sucks
They got a DH spot for him.
C L A N K … but boy can he H I T
yah right. 51 games with the Cubs ….0…. zero errors. Golden glover Hayward had 6. Watch a game sometime instead of listening to the media.
watch teh gaeymezzz
people only ever cite the eye test when it benefits them. but when i ask about the eye test analysis of, say, Yuli, im told that its garbage and that only shaky metrics can truely gauge defense. not saying Castellanos is a bad defender, but bothered that the eye test apparently only correctly judges the defense of one player
Anyone who judges defense solely by errors or fielding percentage is really behind the times.
If all you needed to do was watch the game, why did you choose to use the (out-dated and very weak) statistic to back up your point?
As Cubs fan I sure would rather have an offensive player that doesn’t kill you in right than a defensive player that struggles to hit. He looked fine to me last year.
…or you could sign Ozuna, who’s pretty good at both.
I think he would be a great signing too. Purely on the bat I’d take castellanos all day. I don’t think ozuna is some defensive dynamo either, he can barely throw a baseball.
I hope he comes back to the Cubs. But maybe he doesn’t want to be on hold until the Bryant grievance is decided. I know he’s not gold glove caliber but he’s not a hack. His offensive output will make up for his lack of defensive range.
No matter what kind of a deal you favor involving the Cubs, The MLB arbitrator is making a joke out of this. Once again I’ll ask, why is Manfred still the commissioner?
Ian Desmond 2.0?
Castellanos is much better offensively than Desmond ever was.
Not true really. They actually have pretty similar numbers through age 27. Desmond just fell off a cliff after he signed the deal with Colorado.
Much better is a stretch if we are only considering before Desmond signed with the Rockies. However, Desmond was the much better all around player. I’m not sure who has been more overrated this offseason, Wheeler or Castellanos. Castellanos had 2 spectacular months with the Cubs, but was hitting .273/.328/..462, 105 wRC+ with the Tigers the first 4 months of the season.
Desmond before signing with the Rockies, 101 wRC+, 19.7 fWAR, 1083 games in 4470 PA’s with the Nationals and Rangers.
Desmond in his one season with the Rangers before signing with the Rockies, .285/.335/.446, 103 wRC+, 3.5 fWAR over 677 PA’s
Castellanos, 112 wRC+, 10.4 fWAR, 888 games over 3646 PA’s with the Tigers and Cubs
Castellanos this past season with the Tigers and Cubs, .289/.337/..525, 121 wRC+, 2.8 fWAR in 664 PA’s.
JD Martinez 2.0?
Like this move for Texas Rangers. Roster still lacking defense and bullpen looking suspect but they are definitely trying to improve and making very solid signs and trades
Calhoun and Castellanos in the OF will generate runs yet, give up runs.
Cubs are just beyond stupid to let someone, who hits so well at Wrigley, go away so easily.
He was an absolute beast for the Cubs.
“Stupid” has nothing to do with it.
“the White Sox, Cubs, Giants, Diamondbacks and Marlins have been connected to Castellanos”, then they eliminate all but the SFG and since no one wants to play for SF-
Castellanos is soon to be a Ranger.
I would hate to have to walk to the SF ballpark dodging “poop” and needles on the way.
If the Cubs don’t get Castellanos half their fan base will takea hike.
They never do. That’s why the Cubs fan base gets the treatment.
nonsense talk !
No they won’t. There’s Cubs fans across the globe. Easily the best fans in all major sports. No one is more loyal to their team than the Cubs. Why do you think they sell out Wrigley field 98% of the time. Cubs fans help sell out other stadiums too. From Colorado,Milwaukee Comiskey park, Jacob’s Field, city field.
Have you ever heard of Lambeau?
Still not as great as the cubs fanbase.
Not a chance. Cubs fans will always be Cubs fans. They have packed Wrigley year after year. And for tourists…It’s like the #1 thing to do when visiting Chicago in the summer. Cubs sold out even when they were losing 100 games. As much as I wanted to see a trophy come to the north side, I worried that it would heighten expectations.
It will sting but I really want to see Happ get 500+ ab. Cubs offense should be really good next year as it stands now. Fingers crossed for the rotation and bullpen.
“The Rangers have emerged as a finalist”
How does that work? Is there a committee?
He won the swimsuit competition.
The Rangers somehow cheated the system
He should send the Cubs a “Thank You” card for boosting up his value while hitting at Wrigley !
Wrigley plays pretty neutral. It’s an absolute pitchers park anytime the winds blowing in on the year.
Castellanos is a good player….not great……he is a DH…..glove is below average……..and the last time I saw, there was no DH in the NL unless they play a AL team in their ballpark !
He cannot play third…..
Rizzo is at first……
Could play LF, but Schwarber is there….
cannot play CF…..
and Heyward is at best in RF……
he had a good run with his bat while with the Cubs ……and his value went up !
51 games with the Cubs and ZERO errors. Golden glover Hayward had six.
If a defender doesn’t try for a ball that’s catchable, he isn’t charged with an error.
Did you ever play the game?
Except that good OF make errors. Bad OF just give up hits and make routine outs look spectacular.
Spot on!
So if not Castellanos in RF and Heyward in CF, you prefer Heyward in RF and who in CF?
YEEESSSSSS!!!! THANK THE LORD!!!! SOME GOOD NEWS!!!!
Good for Rangers if they can get him ….but anything above $10M AAV is an over-pay for him…
Keep commenting hozie, I love comedy.
Choo, Odor…those are true overpayments.
soon to be 28 year old not 27
These rumors typically mean a signing is close – well see
Yeah, I remember earlier on the day of the Ryu signing, MLBTR released an article saying that a deal with the Blue Jays was imminent (or something close), so yeah by the end of today Nick will be a Ranger.
Maybe they should have just held on to Mazara and invested that money into Donaldson or another 3B or CF. I bet Castellanos and Mazara finish the season with similar stat lines offensively, with Mazara providing better defense. I’m not saying Mazara is a better hitter than Castellanos, not at all, just that they could have used/allocated those resources more usefully. Mazara still has some untapped potential. The Rangers already have several corner OF types that hit from the left side like Gallo and Shoo and someone else I’m forgetting. Not crazy about their offseason outside of the Kluber deal.
I can tell you don’t follow the Rangers, cause here’s why they want to do this Castellanos deal. They have a lefty dominated line-up (specifically left-handed hitting corner outfielders, for example Choo, Gallo, Calhoun, and then Mazara), and getting rid of Mazara was one of the things to help cope with that. Getting Nick would let the Rangers replace a lefty with a righty in the line-up, which is always nice.
The Rangers have had Mazara in their starting lineup for 5 years and the so-called “potential” just could not be tapped. Mazara has leveled out now and he is only 25 years old. Don’t see any breakthrough for him. Mazara is a very strong hitter when he is on, but Castellanos is a consistently better hitter on an every day basis.
Castellanos is a huge offensive upgrade over Mazara and he crushes lefties.
This is one argument I can see pro-Castellanos for the Rangers. Most of their offensive weapons are LHH (Gallo, Choo, Santana is a switch-hitter). And hey, if he can handle 1B defensively, his bat does profile as good enough there
The Rangers make the most sense based on their opening in RF, their need to a RH hitter in the middle of that lineup, and their goal of contending in 2020.
He’s an above average player. Not sure why anyone would be upset about their team signing him.
Because he can’t field and everyone hits 30 homers now
come on Atl
Come on Theo Re-sign castellanos already. 4/63
AW HELL NO
Shades of shin shoo choo, leave it to the rangers to sign a dude for close to 100 million that no one is interested in.
No one?
GIANTS NEED HITTERS!! SIGN HIM
7/140 with an opt out after 2 years.
Rangers have – during this off season – neglected bats. Signing Castellanos will upgrade that huge deficiency. If they could lasso Ozuna the Rangers could compete in their division.
Pitching is tougher to find and sign than bats. I think the Rangers are proceeding on a smart path. Get the rotation set first, then go find some bats, particularly RH ones. I am wondering what becomes of Hunter Pence though. Affordable good RH bat. NC would seem to be his replacement, although you can’t argue with wanting a 28 yr old bat.
Nick’s defensive problem is taking poor routes to the ball. He is competent IF he gets to the ball. However, he is getting better. My bet is for considerable bat regression as I haven’t seen the fire and leadership that makes a player a true winner. Rangers will overpay and regret it.
“I haven’t seen the fire and leadership that makes a player a true winner.”
So didn’t watch any of the cubs games the last 2 months? On top of raking, Maddon, Zobrest and the rest of the team exactly highlighted the fire and leadership.
I guess you missed him for the other 5 years, 10 month. No fire.
The team was trash, doesn’t matter how much fire there is. Imagine playing on opening day knowing your season is already over.
I dont understand the appeal of this guy? Low OBP with 25ish homeruns and terrible defense. 129 players hit 20 or more homeruns last year. A lot of those are far cheaper options.
5/85 is my guess
Hoping somehow the Giants open the pocketbook on this guy
ah yes because then they could win 72 games instead of 70. seriously bro are you daft? how does castellanos move the needle at all for the Giants? this is another wait til next year, try to accumulate more young talent that hopefully can break through together in 2-3 years.
Makes sense. Seems him waiting for JD to sign might give him more teams that would go after him therefore increasing his price but this would be a good move for the rangers
This or Ozuna, reunite with Chirinos, and sign Frazier or miracle trade for Arenado. That would be the off season dreams are made of and it is still all possible in time for the new ball park
6-100 would be a great deal, but downside is he might end up as a DH
if his d is as bad as they say then that’s a good thing
I am going to guess… 5 years, $85 million
He hit well above his career averages with the Cubs and had a positive attitude. However, it just moved the ineffective Heyward to CF which made him even less effective because most of his value comes from RF defense. Heyward has killed more moves than Bobby Fischer.
I think that NC might be a player whose ERA+ might be more indicative of his value than his WAR.
Go Cubs go dont be so cheep sign Nicky the sticky already
Heyward to CF again though?
Probably. Worth exploring
If Production, happiness, great environment, winning and playing for a strong economic profile city mean anything to him… stay a Cub
Heyworthless. One of the worst Free Agents of all time. It looked bad when the Cubs signed him.
No, it didn’t. People raved the Heyward signing when it was made. He’s simply never come close to living up to it.
Heyward was second-highest profiled FA and highest profiled hitter prior to 2016. As a result of his age (26) and then-consistently very good performance, he was getting projected to get $150-200 by multiple sources — including MLBTR:
– mlbtraderumors.com/2015/11/2015-16-top-50-mlb-free…
– mlbtraderumors.com/2015/10/free-agent-profile-jaso…
– sbnation.com/mlb/2015/12/4/9850090/jason-heyward-f…
– bleacherreport.com/articles/2587817-mlb-free-agent…
Looking through the list of big FA contracts that year (and any year once you get a few years removed) just shows you how wildly inconsistent even the best, “most consistent year-in and year-out”, “grittiest veteran” FAs generally are. Heyward’s 8y/$184M contract was right around where he was expected (a couple years shorter, but he got more $/y) and the reason it looks bad now is that he hasn’t even been a shadow of the player he was before it — as is not uncommon for FA contracts.
Watching nick past few years i think he would rake in Texas a lot of his HR and doubles i don’t have the data just going of my naked eye seem to always go to Right Center where the ball absolutely carries in Texas
new stadium opening so we don’t know how it will play yet
I’ve watched this kid since the day he came up and as Rangers fans you’ll love him for his bat but trust me when I say you’ll loath him for his D. So many times watching him struggle in RF at Comerica (and that’s not even bringing up 3rd base) makes you crazy after awhile! But all in all not a bad kid, decent clubhouse guy and will for sure get his 20-25 HRs and 80-95 RBIs while hitting anywhere from .260 – .295 as well. Good luck to you Nick.
Watch Castellanos with the mitt. He runs after fly balls and liners like the Tin Man without his oil can.
But he can catch up to those fly balls and liners. Sometimes.
When it hits the glove, the ball tends to stay. It might ricochet off a shoulder every so often, but a batted ball will stay in the pocket of his glove on those occasions in which it finds itself in there.
Do not think the man is a championship-caliber outfielder. He is nowhere near that. He might become at serviceable 1B, but that’s presently guesswork since he pouted against making that position move last year.
However – he is only reaching his maturity now as a hitter. He has a good chance to progress further – he is just now entering the 28-32 age zone, historically great years for top hitters. Castellanos has a chance to be that.
I thought the Tigers should have kept him at 1B as a cornerstone going forward. He’s young enough, talented enough, and seemed to want to stay. Who knows what dynamics led to the departure from there (other than owner Chris Ilitch’s desire to reduce payroll to 99-Cent Store level).
… four years and $62 million.
I’m a fan of NC, but I question his 2019 effort with the Tigers pretrade to the Cubs.
Could have been cellar-dweller burn out, could have been the strain of being on the trading block…maybe his last half 2019 performance was indicative of what he could do with a stable job on a winning team. Sure, he is not a gold glover. Pretty good bat and effort though.
A play through injury could have slowed him down.
I think nick could get 5 at 90,,He is a professional hitter will be a big help to any batting order…if Rangers get him on a 4 at 75 year deal would be even better for rangers…
Good, the Rangers can take Castellanos, which would give my Cardinals a much better chance at resigning Ozuna.
Here are two 27 year old COF and their stats the last 2 seasons. One of these players has been an above average defensive COF by both DRS and UZR, while the other has been rated well below average by both DRS and UZR.
Player A: 61 HR, 9.4% BB%, 20.5% K%, .249/.331/.530, 127 wRC+, 5.8 fWAR
Player B: 50 HR, 6.7% BB%, 21.9% K%, .294/.346/.513, 126 wRC+, 5.7 fWAR
One of the players above is free agent Nick Castellanos, while the other is Joc Pederson, who will be a free agent next offseason. Anyone here think Joc should get a $50-$100 million contract next year?
Joc cant hit lefties…
While true, it also doesn’t hurt him (as evident by his final stat line) as much as not being able to hit RHP. It is also not a factor that has ever hurt LHH from getting big contracts in the past.
That said, barring absolute health and/ or performance collapses, I’d expect Pedersen next year will almost certainly be priced in the same range as Castellanos.
Dodgers have 302 wins the last 3 seasons, Tigers 175. Nick career .277 BA, Joe .233. Nick was playing 3rd most of his career. In huge Comerica Park. Nick has the longer track record. Nicks stats last 3 seasons were effected by him being surrounded by prospects in the lineup.
Nick also has a career .326 OPB compared to Joc’s career .339 OBP, which means that Nick still makes more outs than Joc despite the better BA. Pederson has been good for 5 DRS in limited time playing RF over the past two seasons, while Castellanos has been worth -28 DRS. Regardless of how huge Comerica Park is, that difference is huge.
Joc Pederson was a similar if not more highly regarded prospect than Nick Castellanos and has been the better MLB player and Pederson can also play both sides of the ball. Is Joc Pederson being underrated here or is Castellanos being overrated? Should we all expect a contract in the $50-$100 million range for Pederson next season or is Castellanos about to be criminally overpaid?
I think Joc is underrated and should be well sought after next offseason. He strung together 2 great years, let’s see how he does this year but I expect another solid campaign.
Maybe this Boras client has priced himself out of the market. Maybe the Boras Corporation has planted stories with friendly reporters suggesting the opposite. We’ve seen this movie before.
Morosi making stuff up again to get his articles printed, SMH
These guys rely on sources information. Sometimes the sources are mistaken or unreliable. If Texas ends up signing him, it sort of points to an earlier meeting. The agent tends to wait to have a player sign, as with JD Martinez.