Reds Reportedly Frontrunners to Land Free Agent Outfielder Nicholas Castellanos
By Karl Rasmussen
Nicholas Castellanos remains as one of the top free agents left to find a new MLB home, but it looks like he may be on the verge of landing with his next big-league team.
Jon Morosi reports that the Cincinnati Reds have emerged as the frontrunners in the Castellanos sweepstakes. The two sides have reportedly made significant progress towards reaching a deal over the past few days.
Source: #Reds now the clear frontrunner to sign Nicholas Castellanos, and there are signs that talks have progressed in recent days. Story: https://t.co/8AztW9FPEq @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 26, 2020
Castellanos had a tale of two halves last season. He spent the first part of the season with the Tigers, where he slashed just .273/.328/.462 with 11 homers and 37 RBI across 100 games in which he was...less than motivated, it would seem. He was traded to the Cubs at the deadline, where he went on a tear and launched 16 homers and drove in 36 runs across a 51 games, posting a 1.002 OPS during that span.
Reds reportedly emerge as "clear frontruner" for free agent Nicholas Castellanos:https://t.co/vlyNg5aCer
— Enquirer Sports (@ENQSports) January 26, 2020
There are some questions regarding Castellanos' defensive capabilities, which ultimately led to him being moved from third base to right field, but that hasn't prevented teams from expressing interest in the 27-year-old.
The Texas Rangers were among the clubs believed to be at the forefront of his market, but per Morosi's report, it seems the Reds are Castellanos' most likely destination at this point.