Cubs and Nicholas Castellanos Have Mutual Interest But Chicago Needs to Clear Payroll to Sign Him

The Chicago Cubs are working with a limited budget in the offseason. The team is looking to stray away from its recent run of overspending in order to win now.

Well, while money is tight, the Cubs are keen on reuniting with their midseason acquisition, Nicholas Castellanos. According to Sahadev Sharma of "The Athletic," the interest is mutual, but the Cubs would have to make some financial maneuvers in order to afford him.

There are numerous hurdles in place, but both the Cubs and Nicholas Castellanos would embrace a return to the North Side. Why he would like to come back and how a sliver of hope on a return remains. https://t.co/eBSqpJMV1d
— Sahadev Sharma (@sahadevsharma) December 18, 2019

Castellanos joined the Cubs at the trade deadline last season and was sensational in his 51-game stint with the team. He mashed 16 home runs and drove in 38 runs while slashing .321/.356/.646.

The free-agent outfielder has a rather sizable market, with Sharma reporting Castellanos is interested in the Rangers, Giants and Cubs. Still, unless the Cubs are able to offload one of their notable contracts, re-signing the 27-year-old remains difficult.

The team has been rumored to be discussing a possible swap with the Yankees involving Kyle Schwarber, but Sharma reports that even eliminating Schwarber's $8 million salary may not open enough money to bring back Castellanos.

Sources say #Rangers and #Reds showing continued interest in Nicholas Castellanos, one of the best available hitters after Anthony Rendon signed Wednesday. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 12, 2019

The Cubbies will need to act quickly if they want to open up some money to bring Castellanos back because his decision could be on the horizon with so many other teams seeking to land him.