Cincinnati Reds: Examining the Castellanos Contract

Outfielder Nick Castellanos signed a contract with the Cincinnati Reds this offseason; now, let’s take some time to examine it.

Earlier this offseason, the Cincinnati Reds signed Nicholas Castellanos to a 4-year, $64 million contract. The young outfielder will only be 28 this year and is coming off of a monster 2019 campaign, spending 100 games with the Detroit Tigers and 51 games with the Chicago Cubs.

Through 151 games, Castellanos hit 27 home runs, led the majors with 58 doubles, drove in 73 runs, scored 100, and posted an OPS. of .863. He played consistent defense in right field.

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When he was traded to the Cubs, he went on a major hot streak. During his 51-game stint with the Cubs, his slash line was .321/.356/.646, making his OPS. over 1.000.

The corner outfielder was rewarded for his strong second half with his contract with the Reds. However, Castellanos is hoping to post another impressive season because there is a strong possibility that Castellanos hits the free-agent market again next offseason.

In his contract, he has two separate Player Opt-outs available after the 2020 and 2021 seasons, a Scott Boras specialty.

If he plays like he did in Chicago or has a great season, it would be likely that he would opt-out of his contract and look for a bigger deal on the open market.

The Reds were a smart choice for Castellanos, especially because of opt-out clauses, because Great American Ballpark is very hitter-friendly.

Expect Castellanos’ home run numbers to rise and his doubles to fall slightly. Some of his deep doubles in Detroit are going to be home runs in Cincinnati.

His 27 home runs in 2019 were his career-high. In his new ballpark, he could easily shatter that number and break into the 30-homerun club for the first time in his career.

Castellanos was signed by the Reds to play right field, strengthen their lineup and help this team return to the postseason for the first time since 2013. He is going to contribute for sure, but for how long is the real question.