The Cub fan’s dream of a last-minute return of outfielder Nick Castellanos in 2020 got a rude awakening Monday with news that last summer’s Wrigley Field favorite agreed to terms on a four-year contract with the division-rival Reds.
Despite months of budget-minded moves by the Cubs and what seemed like clear signals that Castellanos was ultimately priced beyond their means, Cubs social media seemed to hold strong to hope the longer Castellanos lingered on the free agent market.
Barely a week ago, Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward, perhaps unwittingly, added a splash of fuel to that hope when talking about the Cubs’ quiet winter so far — and that plenty of time was left before Opening Day.
“I know all you guys remember when I first got here in [2016] spring training, I think we were out on the practice field, and Dexter Fowler walks up in street clothes,” Heyward said, “after we thought he was going to sign with the Orioles.”
It would appear no such last-second turn of events is in store for the Cubs this time around.
The Reds and Castellanos agreed to a $64 million, four-year deal, according to multiple reports, and all that awaited an official announcement was a pending physical.
For the Cubs, who benefitted from one of the summer’s best trades in acquiring Castellanos from the Tigers at the deadline, the small-market Reds landing Castellanos as part of an especially active winter only underscores the kind of offseason it has been for a big-revenue team whose budget is knotted around the luxury-tax threshold.
“We love him,” Cubs president Theo Epstein said of Castellanos during Cubs Convention earlier this month. “That’s why we traded for him. He exceeded all our expectations. He’s a great player to have, on the field for us, and a great guy to have in the clubhouse. But he’s played himself into having a really good market, and we’re not sure we’re going to be able to bring him back. But we’re sure we’d like to have him back.”
When asked specifically about whether Castellanos still being on the market at that point might suggest he’s waiting on the Cubs, Epstein added: “I think he’s in a pretty good spot based on everything he’s done in his career and his age. But we’ll see.”
Instead, the Cubs are expected this week to announce the signing of bounce-back candidate Steven Souza Jr., a right fielder who hit 30 homers with an .810 OPS in 2017 — before missing half of 2018 and all of 2019 with injuries.
It may not make fans forget Castellanos, at least not until Souza proves he’s back to full speed and production.
But it’s expected to be their first full-fledged, non-split, major-league contract added since a third-place finish that contributed to a change in managers and the promise that trade talks could be in play for anybody on the roster.
Meanwhile, the Reds look like the runaway offseason winners in the National League Central.
Whether it plays out that way over the summer, Castellanos makes it a $164 million offseason for the team that finished fourth in the division (75-87) in 2019.
The Reds previously added second baseman Mike Moustakas on a four-year, $64 million deal and left-hander Wade Miley on a two-year, $15 million contract in December. Japanese outfielder Shogo Akiyama signed with the Reds earlier this month on a three-year, $21 million deal.
As much as Castellanos should improve the lineup, he adds more questions about how the Reds will find playing time for all their outfielders. They may have six players competing for three spots.
Loose trade rumors quickly arose Monday that the Reds might look to move center fielder Nick Senzel, 24, a converted infielder.
Castellanos, whose 58 doubles last year rank 10th all-time, hit .289 with a .337 on-base percentage and .863 OPS in 151 games total last season — including a 1.002 OPS in 51 games with the Cubs.
He drew interest this offseason from the Texas Rangers, San Francisco Giants and Cubs, according to reports.
