Nick Castellanos made it clear during his time with the Cubs in 2019 that he'd love to return in 2020 and beyond. The Cubs want him back too, as there have been several reports saying both sides are interested in a reunion. However, the Cubs appear to be operating under financial constraints for the second consecutive offseason and signing Castellanos, for now, seems unlikely.
That's not just my opinion. The Athletic's Sahadev Sharma and Ken Rosenthal have both written it. And it's not just the cost of re-signing Castellanos, but there's also a question about his fit in the outfield. There's no doubt he brought a great vibe to the clubhouse and his approach at the plate is great, but the Cubs are trying to improve defensively. An outfield of Kyle Schwarber, Jason Heyward and Nick Castellanos isn't exactly going to help out pitchers.
But who knows, maybe everything falls into place and the Cubs do make it work this offseason. That seems to be the premise behind this latest rumor from ESPN 1000 radio host Mike Murphy.
During his show on Saturday, Murphy said that the Cubs and Castellanos have a deal in place, but that they've told him to wait on making it official.
OK.
What you don't hear in that clip is the rest of the discussion, as Jesse Rogers basically pats Murphy on the head, saying sure thing buddy.
One, ask yourself the last time or if Mike Murphy has ever broken significant stories about the Cubs. Exactly.
Two, there's no chance in hell Castellanos is waiting around for the Cubs to figure out there shit to sign when guys around the league are getting surprisingly big deals. A Scott Boras client might wait to sign in the offseason, but that's only to build up his market and get as much money as possible, which is completely fair.
There's obviously mutual interest and I bet the Cubs and Castellanos' reps have talked and probably talked more than a few times this offseason. Yet, as I've written before, so many dominos have to fall before the Cubs actually make a solid offer for him. Maybe it's trading Schwarber or they deal Heyward and find a good defensive center fielder to put between Schwarber and Castellanos. Lots of possibilities, but Castellanos already agreeing to a deal a month ago and just waiting isn't one of them.
So, once again, a rumor that is most likely being exaggerated to something that isn't true at all. It's the offseason. You can't expect anything less.
And no, Castellanos can't play third base. He's bad there. Really bad.
