The Cincinnati Reds have made their biggest move yet of the offseason. The team has signed outfielder Nick Castellanos to a four-year, $64 million deal yesterday. It seemed that the team has caught a big fish with their small rod.
Castellanos is set to earn $16 million for this year, followed by $14 million in 2021, $16 million in 2022, and $16 million in 2023. The deal also comes up with a mutual option for the 2024 season worth $20 million along with a $2 million buyout.
The outfielder can also become a free agent as his deal with the team comes up with opt-out clauses for this year and the next one.
Reds president Dick Williams came up with a statement after inking a deal with the outfielder.
‘Nick was one of the most attractive options on the market. He has been a consistently elite producer offensively and that complements our existing team well’, said Williams.
Castellanos will wear no. 2 for the team, and that means that Alex Blandino will have to switch numbers. Blandino has opted to wear no. 0 for the squad.
With Castellanos’ addition, the team is clearly poised to become one of the contenders in the upcoming season. The team is looking forward to end their six-year postseason drought, and their offseason moves are the proof of that quest.
The team has put outfielder Jose Siri on assignment, and that allowed them to put Castellanos on the 40-man roster. Siri is believed to be the team’s no. 15 prospect as per MLB Pipeline.
The team is hoping to shore up their offence after finishing last season with just 75 wins. The offence became the team’s top priority as they went towards the offseason. The team was ranked 12th in most runs scored and batting average in the National League.
They also led the Major Leagues in one-run losses.
The team has inked second baseman Mike Moustakas for a four-year deal worth $64 million as well. They also added Shogo Akiyama after signing him to a three-year deal worth $21 million.
Lefty Wade Miley was also signed to a two-year deal back in December 2019. The team upgraded its rotation by spending just $15 million on Miley, and that puts a total of $164 million which has been used in the team’s offseason moves.
Castellanos is set to turn 28 on March 4th. He batted .289/.337/.525 along with 27 homers and he led the league by tallying 58 doubles in the span of just 151 games combined for both the Tigers and Cubs in the previous season.
The team has become more dangerous with the addition of Castellanos. They have put themselves in the perfect position to fight for their spot in the postseason and hopefully win the title this time around.