Detroit Tigers Rumors: Possible landing spots for Nicholas Castellanos

If Detroit Tigers fans haven’t been through enough in the recent seasons, the Hot Stove season could turn out to be another slap in the face as Detroit Tigers rumors mention the team’s best hitter.

If the front office has its way, only one player from the Mike Ilitch and Dave Dombrowski era of the Detroit Tigers will be left in 2019. That player is Miguel Cabrera. It’s safe to bet that if Al Avila and Chris Ilitch could something of value for Cabrera, he’d be gone, too.

During Day One of the Winter Meetings, Nicholas Castellanos became the topic of conversation in Tigers rumors. According to Jon Morosi, teams like the Braves have inquired about the third-baseman-turned-right-fielder:

Anthony Fenech with the Detroit Free Press wrote about Castellanos:

“He is one season away from hitting the free agent market, and the Tigers are determined to move on, not because of dollars, but sense.”

Castellanos will hit the free agent market at the end of the 2019 season, which means that if the Tigers want to keep him, they will have to pay him. He’s a home-grown player and still young. After a cup of coffee in 2013, he played 148 games in the 2014 season at age 22. He’ll be 27 at the start of the 2019 season.

The Tigers paid him $6 million in 2018 and he produced, especially at the plate. In both 2017 and 2018, he played 158 games. In 2017, he led the AL with 10 triples. In 2018, he hit a slash of .298/.354/.500 with 23 home runs and 89 RBI.

In 2017, he made the transition from third base to right field after the Tigers traded J.D. Martinez. Castellanos was terrible at third base with 18 errors in 2017 alone. He’s not great in right field, either. His defensive WAR in 2018 was a sad -2.4. But, his offensive numbers were so good that he finished 2018 with a WAR of 2.9.

With departure of nearly every veteran player except Cabrera, Castellanos became a fan favorite in 2018. Even if he couldn’t make the big plays in the outfield, his bat and his sense of humor endeared him to fans. If he leaves, 2019 will be a difficult season for fans in the seats at Comerica Park.

Teams that are looking at him could put him in right field, but he might be better at first base or as a full-time designated hitter. Let’s see where he could possible land.

Jon Morosi Tweeted about the Braves checking in on Castellanos. While he seems more like an AL player, with his tendency towards being a DH, he would fit with a few NL teams.

The Braves need a right fielder. At the moment, Adam Duvall is penciled in as the right fielder. Duvall was sent to the Braves in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds at the July deadline. The Reds got Preston Tucker, Lucas Sims, and Matt Wisler. With the Braves, Duvall hit .132/.193/.151 in 53 at-bats.

As the Braves are one of the NL East teams that is in the fight for the top, Castellanos could certainly help them at the plate. He would be an offensive upgrade, even if he was a bit of a wash in the field.

Over the years, there were talks of Castellanos eventually taking Cabrera’s spot at first base with the Tigers. But, Cabrera doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. It is doubtful that the Braves would want him at first, either as Freddie Freeman does just fine at that position.

There are also rumors tying the Braves to Carlos Gonzalez, Andrew McCutchen, and Nick Markakis, according to Gabriel Burns with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It appears the Braves are checking out all possible choices, as Michael Brantley and AJ Pollock have also been rumored to be of interest.

I’ve watched Castellanos play since 2013 and am honestly having difficulty imagining him in anything but the Old English D. While I appreciate his ability at the plate, all the other rumored players are better in the field and rather adept with their bats, too.

However, of qualifying right fielders, Castellanos’ batting average and slugging percentages were second only to Mookie Betts. But, defensively, the other players had better numbers.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have found themselves without a first baseman after trading Paul Goldschmidt just a few days ago, making them another NL team could use a kid who can hit and play first base.

On their official MLB site, the D-backs have Christian Walker penciled in as their only first baseman. He hit .163/.226/.388 in 49 at-bats in 2018.

While there aren’t any rumors linking Castellanos to the Diamondbacks, he would fit in nicely there. He’s the perfect size for first base at 6’4, 203 pounds. Even though he hasn’t played first base, he’s a professional baseball player and could make the transition.

Losing Goldy was and will be painful for Diamondbacks fans. Acquiring an experienced young player like Castellanos would help the fans heal. While quick-witted Castellanos is rather different from the quiet Goldschmidt, his sense of humor would be quickly appreciated.

The best way to get a feel for what Castellanos is like outside of the lines is to listen to his podcast with Shane Greene. The 619 by MLB.com is an unfiltered look inside professional baseball. The 61 is Shane Greene and the 9 is Castellanos.

Castellanos would be a fine replacement for Goldschmidt. The pair had similar numbers in 2018 with Goldy batting .290/.389/.533. His OPS+ was 139, while Castellanos had an OPS+ of 130. He might be Goldschmidt, but D-backs fans would get used to him very quickly.

With all the moves that the New York Mets have been making lately, they still have a hole at first base.

Their current depth chart lists Robinson Cano and Dominic Smith at first base. Cano is a second baseman by trade. And, Smith doesn’t have much at the plate. He hit .224/.255/.420 with a below-average OPS+ of 87.

If the Mets want to improve their team, Castellanos could be the guy to do it. Smith has two seasons in the MLB and at age 23, he’s got more to prove. He can also play left field.

Castellanos could be the big bat that Mets desperately need. Yoenis Cespedes will be out for a while. No one is quite sure what 36-year-old Cano will do after coming off of his PED suspension in 2018.

The NL East has been the most exciting division in the Hot Stove season. The team has spent big bucks acquiring Cano and was able to get Edwin Diaz in the deal. They’ve also got the reigning Cy Young winner, Jacob deGrom. Nick Castellanos could provide run support to two of the best starting pitchers in the game today, deGrom and Noah Syndergaard.

There haven’t been any rumors linking the Mets to Castellanos, but the move makes some sense. The Mets have a bit of a farm system, moreso than the D-backs. So, they could offer something to the Tigers in an exchange. They could possibly even make a trade that includes one of their young outfielders.

While the Orioles need nearly everything, they don’t have anything that the Tigers would be interested in acquiring. But, the Tampa Bay Rays could be another story altogether.

The Rays are an interesting team, simply because of their penchant for making unexpected trades. One of the most interesting is their rumored interest in Nelson Cruz as DH. According to several sources including Marc Topkin with the Tampa Bay Times, Cruz’s agent said he would be “a perfect fit.”

That signing would take care of the designated hitter position, but there are still a few holes that Castellanos could fill. In 2018, C.J. Cron manned first base, but the team released him and the Twins picked him up off of waivers. This leaves Ji-Man Choi and Jake Bauers as potential first baseman in 2019. Right-field also lacks depth with only Austin Meadows listed in the depth chart.

But, Meadows wasn’t too bad in right field or at the plate. He hit .287/.325/.461 in 59 games. Bauers – on the other hand – only hit .201/.316/.384. And Choi’s numbers in 49 games were .269/.370/.506.

Castellanos would be an upgrade at either first or right. If he were to play regularly at Tropicana Field, there is little doubt that his home run numbers would increase at the indoor stadium. He regularly hits his home runs to right-center. The Trop has a slightly longer right-field wall than the one at Comerica Park, but the distance to center is much shorter.

He would be an interesting addition to the Rays, even if it’s only for a year or two.