Bell on Reds’ added pop: ‘A dream come true’
Offseason goal was to ‘get hitting,’ and Castellanos set to bring some.
CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Reds wrote another chapter in the franchise’s historic offseason Tuesday.
The Reds officially introduced outfielder Nick Castellanos, during a press conference in the team’s Hall of Fame and Museum Williams Family Champions Gallery.
President and Chief Executive Officer Bob Castellini, President of Baseball Operations Dick Williams, General Manager Nick Krall, manager David Bell and agent Scott Boras joined Castellanos on a crowded stage.
Following a short video of Castellanos highlights, that group walked into the room. Williams handed Castellanos a home white jersey with the No. 2 and they posed showing the front and back before the new Red donned it.
The Reds hope Castellanos and fellow free agents Mike Moustakas and Shogo Akiyama can spark an offense that struggled to score while the team was finishing 75-87 in 2019. Cincinnati set the franchise single-season home run record while finishing 12th in the 15-team National League in scoring and hitting.
“Last offseason, our informal motto was, ‘Get the pitching,’” Williams said. “This year, our goal internally was to get hitting and balance the team. That was our quest. Nick hits the ball hard. He hits it on a line. He hits to all fields, and he runs the bases well. He strengthens and lengthens our lineup significantly.”
The right-handed batter hit .289 with 58 doubles, 27 homers, 88 extra-base hits and 100 runs scored — all career highs — last season. He led the majors in doubles and drove in 73 runs.
Castellanos became only the third right-handed batter in major-league history with at least 55 doubles and 25 home runs, joining Hall of Famers Hank Greenberg (1934) and Joe Medwick (1937). He made 136 starts in right field and four starts in left field.
His 229 doubles beginning with the 2014 season tie Mookie Betts of the Boston Red Sox for the most of any player in the major leagues over the last six years, and his 104 doubles in 2018 and 2019 led all major leaguers.
“This has been kind of surreal,” said Castellanos, who played in Detroit’s farm system with Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez. “I’m excited. I like the team we’ve put together.”
Castellanos has hit four home runs, all solo shots, in eight games at Great American Ball Park, including three in four games while going 6-for-17 (353) last season.
“Some places you feel good, other places not so good,” he said. “I feel good swinging the bat in this ballpark. I’m excited to be playing 81 games at this ballpark.”
To make room for Castellanos on the roster, Cincinnati designated former Dayton Dragon outfielder Jose Siri for assignment.
Adding Castellanos and Akiyama leaves the Reds with at least six outfielders vying for playing time. Akiyama mainly plays center fielder, which was manned mostly by Nick Senzel last season before he ended the season on the injured list. Castellanos, a corner outfielder, joins Aristides Aquino, Phillip Ervin and Jesse Winker in that corps.
“From a roster-construction standpoint, our goal this year is to win a champion- ship,” Williams said. “To do that, you have to be deep.
It was important to load as much quality as possible on to the 25-man roster — really, the 40-man roster. Some people say we made David Bell’s job harder. Other say we made it easier.”
“It is a great challenge,” Bell agreed. “We’ll find a way to get them into the lineup. It’s like a dream come true. It’s the kind of situation you want to be in. The timing is outstanding for us.”
Castellanos’ contract, which includes a $20 million option for 2024 with a $2 million buyout and clauses allowing him to leave after the 2020 or 2021 seasons, ties the franchise record for the largest free agent signing, set when Cincinnati acquired Moustakas in November to play second base. Akiyama’s three-year, $21 million contract and left-handed pitcher Wade Miley’s two-year, $15 million deal means Cincinnati has committed $164 million to free agents this off-season.