Examining the re-sign: outfielder Castellanos
If the Cubs were to re-sign Nicholas Castellanos, they would bring back a player who was their most productive hitter for the last two months of the 2019 season after they acquired him in a trade-deadline deal with the Tigers, sparking an offense that had struggled for the first two-thirds of the season.
But “it’s a more complicated issue than ‘We’d love to have him back,’ ” team President Theo Epstein said in his end-of-season news conference Sept. 30. Many teams covet Castellanos — and for good reason — and that interest is expected to accelerate at the winter meetings this week in San Diego. Here are the pros and cons of the Cubs re-signing Castellanos:
Pros
If they were to re-sign Castellanos, the Cubs would retain the services of the youngest productive free-agent hitter who thrived at Wrigley Field and set up numerous run-producing opportunities for Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and Kyle Schwarber.
Castellanos, 27, showed no signs of slowing down.
Since Aug. 1, Castellanos led the Cubs in hits (68), doubles (21), home runs (16) and RBIs (36), and his 11 home runs in August were the most hit by a Cub in that month since Sammy Sosa’s 11 in 2002.
From Sept. 13-22, Castellanos batted .375 with nine doubles, two home runs and nine RBIs.
Castellanos has played in at least 148 games in five of his six major-league seasons. He can play left field as well as right.
Castellanos could earn a four-year contract, which would give the Cubs some security with Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and Anthony Rizzo potentially becoming free agents after the 2021 season.
Castellanos also brought a sense of urgency to a team that fell into a “winner’s trap” since they had advanced to the playoffs in each of their previous four seasons.
“Sometimes we expected to get it done in September in the second half because we always have,” Epstein said. “The last two Septembers have proven you can’t take that approach. You have to find a way to grind from the beginning. It’s a challenge.”
Cons
The Cubs still need a leadoff hitter, although they could opt to rotate those duties as they did the last two seasons.
In 2019, the Cubs produced only a .294 on-base percentage from the leadoff spot. The struggles of Jason Heyward (.252 OBP) and Kyle Schwarber (.304) to reach base from the top spot blemished their rebound seasons. Albert Almora Jr. suffered a significant dip with a .221 on-base mark from the leadoff spot that caused then-manager Joe Maddon to scramble for alternatives.
Signing Castellanos could cost the Cubs $15 million annually, which could cut into their efforts to address other needs — unless they trade a player with a substantial salary, such as Bryant, Baez or Schwarber.
Re-signing Castellanos would mean Heyward would shift his Gold Glovecaliber defense from right field to center — unless they trade Schwarber and shift Castellanos to left field.
If the price for Castellanos is deemed too steep, the Cubs could opt for a cheaper option in center and allow Heyward to play right.
Fangraphs rated Castellanos as a minus 9 in defensive runs saved and a minus 5.2 ultimate zone rating last season with the Tigers and Cubs. But he remains an attractive free agent to several teams who have more financial flexibility, such as the White Sox.
The Ricketts family was willing to make an exception for him in July and expand their budget to squeeze in his salary’s final two months. But this time, the stakes and competition are greater.