Nick Castellanos is now a free agent.
The Reds star outfielder made the decision to opt out of the remaining two years of his deal he signed back in January of 2020. Plenty of teams could use his services in 2022 and beyond.
Here are three teams that could potentially reel in the slugging outfielder and boost their chances at contention.
Chicago Cubs
Castellanos briefly played in Chicago during the 2019 season after being traded over from the Tigers at the deadline. Though the Cubs missed the playoffs that year, Castellanos provided a spark for them late in the season.
General Manager Jed Hoyer has said that he expects the Cubs to be big spenders this offseason. So if you’re the Cubs, why not try and bring back a guy who can hit a ton of home runs and get a ton of extra-base hits? This could be a quick way for the Cubs to lay the foundation for their next contending team.
Detroit Tigers
Detroit is another team that’s expected to spend big and take a step towards respectability. They already picked up Castellanos’ Reds teammate Tucker Barnhart in a trade, who’s a Gold Glove catcher. Why not try and bring Castellanos in too?
He’d be going back where it all started for him, and could be a veteran presence for the Tigers’ young players to lean on. He can also serve as somewhat of a catalyst for such a young team.
San Francisco Giants
With the potential loss of Kris Bryant looming, perhaps it would be wise for the Giants to bring in Castellanos.
Bryant’s potential departure creates a void in the outfield. And if San Francisco is serious about contending again, Castellanos would be a perfect fit. He’d be a good leader too, now that Buster Posey is gone. He’d bring a fresh perspective into that clubhouse and be a solid middle of the order presence to go along with Mike Yastrzemski.
As there’s a drive into deep left field by Castellanos it will be a home run. And so that’ll make it a 4-0 ballgame.
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