Reds outfielder Nick Castellanos did not tell the team that he will be exercising the opt-out clause in his contract, according to multiple reporters. As such, Castellanos will remain in Cincinnati for at least one more season, before facing another opt-out decision following the 2021 campaign.
Castellanos signed a four-year, $64MM deal with the Reds last winter, and his original $16MM salary for 2020 was prorated down to roughly $5.925MM as a result of the shortened season. He is scheduled to make $14MM in 2021 and then $16MM in both 2022 and 2023, and the Reds have a $20MM mutual option on his services for the 2024 season that can be bought out for $2MM.
There wasn’t much doubt that Castellanos would pass on his opt-out opportunity, as the offseason marketplace figures to be a tight one for all but the uppermost tier of free agents. It would have been very unlikely that Castellanos would have been able to top the three years and $48MM he has left in his Cincinnati contract, particularly because Castellanos produced average numbers (particularly by his standards) in 2020.
It was very much a tale of two seasons for the 28-year-old, as Castellanos hit a scorching .272/.352/.691 over his first 91 plate appearances in a Reds uniform, but then only .197/.265/.365 over his final 151 PA. The end result was a 102 wRC+ and OPS+ for Castellanos, his lowest total in either metric in the last five seasons.
If Castellanos rebounds in 2021 and league-wide revenues are at least somewhat back to normal, he could explore using his opt-out clause in a year’s time. 2022 would be Castellanos’ age-30 season so time would still somewhat be on his side, and finding more than two years/$34MM could be feasible if he has another big offensive season under his belt. Castellanos’ future market would also be helped if the National League has adopted the DH by then, as his right field defense continues to be below average.
Live to Opt Out Another Day.
Smart.
Could he have opted out and accepted a qualifying offer? Assuming the Reds did offer him the QA, he would received a 4.5 million dollar raise.
Yes. He could have.
He preferred the full 80 or 90 guaranteed.
46M 3 years left
I am not sure…but that could have been a major gamble given the way this offseason has gone.
There is zero chance he would have received a QO. I would wager that the front office would have been ok to glad if he opted out.
He could have done that, but it doesn’t matter because there’s no way he would have gotten a QO
Reds would not offer the QO on him, then he gets a lot less.
Also, if next year, he plays like this year, he will get a lot less.
By opting out of his current contract, Nicholas Castellanos is then a free agent and has no team to offer him a QO.
We opt to have seen this coming.
Was obvious by May.
Surprise! I just don’t see too many opt outs on the horizon.
Not a surprise at all given what’s happening all around baseball and there’s a drive into deep left field by Castellanos and that’ll be a home run. And so that’ll make it a 4-0 ballgame. I don’t know if I’m going to be putting on this headset again. I don’t know if it’s going to be fore the Reds. I don’t know if it’s going to be for my bosses at Fox.
That will end up as one of the classic non-apology apologies of all time.
He signed that deal with the anticipation to opt out. Did work since bell had him swing for the fences w every cut
So other words a 3 year 46 million deal is better than what he can get out on the free market. I would say a smart move by him since nobody knows what the market bares this year. $46 million in the pocket is enough to live on the rest of your life.
The uncertainty isn’t going away anytime soon. At least not in 2021. He’s most likely playing out the entire contract in Cincinnati.
Smart man in this market.
If he had a better 2020 season he probably opts out. He didn’t, so no opt out.
Reds are headed back to being a .500 team, unfortunately. Bauer is not coming back. Votto is at the end of his rope. Cubs and Cards are not going anywhere. They had a real shot in 2020 but blew it.
Ah yes, bc you know exactly what the Reds are gonna do this offseason.
I wish idiots like you would go away and stfu
Spring Training is just 3.5 months away and COVID-19 doesn’t show any signs of receding. Good decision.
Nor does the common cold.
Lets not be afraid of everything we are told to be (ps, don’t be stupid either)
All he was saying was there may not be capacity crowds next year either therefore free agents won’t get paid as much as they might in normal times. He was not saying anything about the severity of the virus he was just plainly stating the facts. No reason at all for you to jump all over him. And call him names
There is no comparison between Covid and the common cold. The common cold is gone within a few days. Covid can last weeks if not months. The common cold will not put you in the ICU. Some states have ICU’s overflowing with covid cases. The common cold can produce permanent brain, heart and lung damage. Not the common cold. The common cold will not kill. Many of us know people who have gone into the ICU and/or died from Covid. Can you say that about the common cold? Pretty much every ICU or ER Dr. in the country has experienced multiple Covid deaths. Not so for the flu or the common cold. No. You cant’s say all of that about the flu or common cold. 230K deaths don’t lie.
The flu is very similar to Covid, especially now that we learned how to treat Covid in Augusta/September. Most estimates say the flu caused about 72k deaths last year. We still want to protect the vulnerable parts of the population but it is pretty similar to the flu for the vast majority of the population. Probably less harsh on healthy children than the flu.
I sure hope Votto chooses to retire.
jacd11
The flu is not very similar to Covid. The flu deaths actually counted was about 14K. The rest was projected. The 230K deaths for Covid have been counted. And all the leading epidemiologists in the country–the actual public health experts–say 230K is an undercount. How do they know? The extra deaths that have occurred this year. Over 300K more than expected. Where do these extra deaths come from? Anthrax? Hanta virus? The flu? No. The vast majority, according to the experts, come from Covid. And this is just 7 months vs. a year.
You must have missed my entire comment. Whoosh! There is pretty much nothing similar between the effects of the flu and Covid. Pretty much EVERY ICU or ER doctor has experienced multiple Covid deaths in just the last 7 months, Very few have experienced flu deaths…in their entire careers! Just like everyday people. Far, far more of us know someone who has gone to the ICU and/or died from Covid. Almost none of us knows someone who has gone to the ICU or died from the flu. My mother died from Covid, for example. And then there’s the permanent brain, heart and lung damage from Covid…
You need to identify and listen to actual experts, not herd immunity quacks and comfortable ideologues.
Herd immunity quacks? Herd immunity is part of basic immunology. The idea of quarantining healthy people is completely backwards because our bodies need to come into contact with pathogens in order develop antibodies for them. Sheltering in place and social distancing weakens our immune systems. Once everything opens back up there will be a huge spike in overall illness because of it. The so-called “experts” you’re talking about know this. They’re just trying to keep people afraid long enough to push a vaccine on gullible people like you so they can make billions of dollars from it. (Fauci and Gates make their living off of those vaccines)
What a freaking nut job. Yeesh.
Wait another season and then come back to Cubs. He absolutely loved Chicago. Very smart staying in Cincinnati one more year. Too much uncertainty. We’ll leave a light on for you.
why would he want to join a team that will be rebuilding? Cubs not a fit at all unless he has some Trout in him and doesn’t care about winning versus cash. Even so, rebuilding teams don’t want to spend.
Why, can he pitch?
Why would you leave the light on for him? Even if he opted out the Cubs would not want to pay that for him based upon his performance
Judging by his performance I’d say he opted out Of the second half of the season
The weird thing is that if his month of September was anywhere close to his August, he would have opted out in a heartbeat. His stats make it look like he had a bad year, but he really just had an awful September. In August, he was one of the hottest hitters in the game. That is exactly why no one should put any real stock into 2020 performance.
His numbers are worth about 5-8 million on a 1 year deal.
No surprises here. Only players who are clearly worth more than the remaining money on their contract actually do opt out (think Zack Greinke, Yoenis Cespedes, Alex Rodriguez)
These players egos need to go. 3 years/$48M remaining and possibly opting out for more??? Their greed will be the downfall of MLB and I can’t wait to see it. I used to love baseball until their paychecks became more important than the fact they “play” something for a living while the rest of us actually work.
So you must hate the owners for making tens if not hundreds of millions a year while holding onto businesses worth billions. I mean, the greed of it all.
Owners are owners. They’re businessmen/businesswomen. So no, I don’t hate them. They actually work for a living or at least worked, not play. I respect most of them more than any player.
“I use to love baseball”
Well you clearly don’t now, so get off a baseball website. Clown. And you’re mad at the players for the contract offers they received? Lol you’re a special kind of stupid.
Did anyone really think he would?
Whe did hitting .272 equate to “scortching?”