The final big name in MLB free agency found a new home on Monday, completing the cycle of signings two weeks before teams get ready for Spring Training. Outfielder Nicholas Castellanos is joining the Cincinnati Reds on a four-year contract that is worth $64 million. The deal keeps him in the NL Central, as the former Detroit Tiger was dealt to the Chicago Cubs at the Trade Deadline last July. He continued to be a doubles machine everywhere he went, combining for 58 two-baggers between his two teams last season.
Castellanos has always been known for his doubles, recording an average of 38 doubles per season in his first six years in the majors. He added a bit more power as well, combining for 27 home runs with the Cubs and Tigers, including 16 with Chicago, who fell short of the Postseason despite adding the right-handed slugger. This contract is the exact same as the one the Reds gave Mike Moustakas, as they look to make some noise in the Central, which was won by the St. Louis Cardinals last season.
The Reds also added some pitching in Wade Miley on a two-year contract in December, but they now have Moustakas and Castellanos as the second-highest paid players on the team. Only veteran first baseman Joey Votto is making more, which sees him at $25 million in each of the next four seasons. Their newly-signed bat joins a crowded outfield that saw Aristides Aquino emerge as a rookie phenom, Nick Senzel recovering from shoulder surgery, and Jesse Winker and Phillip Ervin fighting for playing time.
Castellanos has always been known for his doubles, recording an average of 38 doubles per season in his first six years in the majors. He added a bit more power as well, combining for 27 home runs with the Cubs and Tigers, including 16 with Chicago, who fell short of the Postseason despite adding the right-handed slugger. This contract is the exact same as the one the Reds gave Mike Moustakas, as they look to make some noise in the Central, which was won by the St. Louis Cardinals last season.
The Reds also added some pitching in Wade Miley on a two-year contract in December, but they now have Moustakas and Castellanos as the second-highest paid players on the team. Only veteran first baseman Joey Votto is making more, which sees him at $25 million in each of the next four seasons. Their newly-signed bat joins a crowded outfield that saw Aristides Aquino emerge as a rookie phenom, Nick Senzel recovering from shoulder surgery, and Jesse Winker and Phillip Ervin fighting for playing time.
