As the GM meetings wrapped-up in Las Vegas, there were plenty of rumors involving Tigers outfielder Nick Castellanos, but all signs point to a trade happening closer to the start of spring training.
The teams involved in these rumors, the Dodgers, the Braves, and potentially the Astros (who made an offer in July) all are chasing players thought to be better than Castellanos, will take a run at those options first, with Castellanos most likely being the fall back option.
Castellanos is projected by MLB Trade Rumors to make $11.3mm next season, his last in arbitration before becoming a free agent. Nick of course can add good value offensively, as he’s hit .285, slugged .495, and had an OPS of .831 over the last three seasons. He’s also collected 107 doubles, 19 triples (a product of Comerica Park), and 67 homers, to go with 248 RBI and collecting a 10.2 oWAR.
The biggest knock on Castellanos as most people know, is his defense. He’s never had a positive defensive runs saved above average (rdrs) in his career as an outfielder or infielder, which is a main reason why he is most teams plan B. As a matter of fact, when factoring Defense in to Nick’s past 3-years of WAR total, it drops from a 10.2 oWAR to 5.1
Regardless of how the hot stove season plays out, it seems most likely that Nick will be suting up for another club come opening day.
