Since the Players and Owners hate each other, baseball fans across the map are sitting twiddling their thumbs just waiting for this god-awful lockout to be over. Well, a heated Christmas dinner conversation about the Red Sox got me thinking, who will replace Renfroe. If you say, Jackie Bradly Jr., please gladly see yourself out. It is nice to think about the obvious names like Kyle Schwarber, Starling Marte, Seiya Suzuki, or even Joc Peterson. No, no, I am thinking of someone else.
Nicholas Castellanos
I am beyond confused why this guy's name has not been brought up more in conversations. The 29-year-old is coming off a year where he batted .309 with 34 home runs and 100 RBI's. Now, relax before you try to flip his defensive nerd numbers at me. I am not saying he is the next Ken Griffey Jr. out there. But neither was Manny Ramirez, and we all know what that guy can do with the bat. Castellanos would be a great addition to the middle of this order. He will be fine defensively. Won't blow us out of the water, won't kill us either.
At What Price
He is currently coming off a contract at 4-years, 16 million dollars a year. He opted out of that contract this year, hence being available on the market. My guess is he is looking for somewhere around the 23-25 million dollar range. At 29 years old, he will probably be looking at a 4-5 year deal. Do all that out, and he will most likely get a five-year 115 million dollar deal. Why do I say that number? George Springer signed for 29 Million. Springer is a better defensive outfielder hence the few extra million dollars per year. A better comparison would probably be someone like Jason Hayward or Christian Yelich. Hayward is a lot older but is currently getting paid 24.5 mill, while Yelich is only 30 and getting paid 26 million.
Conclusion
Castellanos is probably one of the most slept on free agents on the market. Could it be because there is currently a lockout, probably, but don't ruin my point! Castellanos would be a great addition to this team. He plays with energy, puts up numbers, enjoys coming to the park and playing the greatest sport on earth, but most importantly, hates Rob Manfred. Perfect combination. Now the real question is, does Bloom dish out that money? Sadly, probably not. He 100% should, though. We have our window to win a championship. Now is the time to capitalize. It is not good enough to get to the World Series. We need to win it! So, yes, that means I DO NOT want to be the Tampa Bay Rays.
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