The Cincinnati Reds signed free agent outfielder Nick Castellanos to a four-year, $64 million dollar contract on Monday. Initially the report came out from ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Ken Rosenthal.
Source confirms Castellanos deal with #Reds: Four years, $64M with opt-out after one year. First with terms: @JonHeyman.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 27, 2020
However, the deal has an opt-out clause after the first season according to sources; which is interesting. This could give the Reds flexibility if Castellanos does not perform as expected, and makes the deal relatively risk-free.
Furthermore, the Reds signed Castellanos to the same contract that Mike Moustakas got earlier in the winter. They are the second-highest paid Reds on the roster next to veteran Joey Votto.
Remember, the Reds have also added pitcher Wade Miley and signed Japanese outfielder Shogo Akiyama to a three-year, $21 million contract just weeks ago.
Altogether, Cincinnati has thrown a bunch of worthy veterans into a stew and will see if it bears some fruit. There is no telling what kind of performance that the group might put forth, but they should be able to hit with the best of them in the NL. Castellanos complained of Comerica Park hampering his offensive numbers in the past, but he won’t face that problem in Cincinnati.
