Phillies Rumors: Nick Castellanos Agrees to 5-Year, $100M Contract in Free Agency

According to Jeff Passan, Nick Castellanos has agreed to sign with Philadelphia.

Jon Heyman of the MLB Network reported that Castellanos will make $100 million over five years.

After the Atlanta Braves defeated the Houston Astros in the World Series, Castellanos opted out of his contract with the Cincinnati Reds. He left $34 million on the table.

His decision came as little surprise.

Cincinnati appears to be going in a different direction. Tucker Barnhart was traded to the Detroit Tigers by general manager Nick Krall.

Lance McAlister @LanceMcAlister

Quote of note from #Reds statement:
Krall: "Going into 2022, we must align our payroll to our resources and continue focusing on scouting and developing young talent from within our system."

The writing was on the wall because Sonny Gray, Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suarez have been dealt as well.

Castellanos had a career year at the plate and this was the time to cash in. He would have made the same amount of money with the Reds if he had stayed.

He had a...........................

Castellanos argued that the dimensions of the park negatively impacted his production. He had a.893 OPS in Cincinnati after posting a......... After posting a....., he had a 1.002 OPS in his brief spell with the Chicago

His other advanced metrics are even more flattering.

Castellanos finished in the top 10 percent of the league in that category for the fifth time in the last six years.

Castellanos has consistently been an above-average hitter, even though he was a bit of an outlier in terms of his offensive dominance. There isn't much reason to think that won't carry over to Philadelphia.

His home and road splits raise questions as to whether there will be a regression in 2022.

Castellanos enjoyed playing in Southwest Ohio this past season, and he had a 1.109 OPS and 23 home runs in 69 games. Over the same number of games outside of Cincinnati, his batting average fell to a more pedestrian.772.

Castellanos has been worth minus-10.0 defensive WAR since entering the majors in 2013. In Philadelphia, he might be asked to handle left field, which is his best position at the moment.

His arrival will provide an immediate boost to Philly's lineup.

A large section of the fan base was spoken for by the player, who made it clear he wanted the team to bring in outside reinforcements. A franchise doesn't hire Dave Dombrowski and doesn't invest a lot in proven stars.

Kyle Schwarber and Castellanos have been signed by the Phillies.

The second Most Valuable Player nod was a testament to his performance and his value to Philadelphia. By the end, it was him and Wheeler trying to get thePhillies to their first playoff trip in five years.

Castellanos will provide support forHarper in the middle of the order. The Philadelphia lineup has one of the scarier lineups in all of baseball.