Nicholas Castellanos, Detroit Tigers
Although Nicholas Castellanos would prefer to start 2019 with a team not named the Tigers, it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen. At the very least, not until some big free-agent names finally come off the board. Like, you know, that Bryce Harper guy.
It’s hard to blame either side here — Castellanos is in his final year of team control before free agency and is probably tired of all the losing. Detroit, on the other hand, is still a ways away from being competitive again. With their slugging outfielder being a final legitimate trade chip, they’re trying to get as much value as possible in a potential deal.
Offensive potential has never been an issue for Castellanos, which culminated in 2018 with career highs in wRC+ (130) and fWAR (3.0). The issue is how bad he is defensively. He was so bad at third base (-64 DRS for career) that he was moved out to right field permanently this past year. That also didn’t go well, as his -19 DRS was fifth-worst among qualified hitters.
It’s not a question of if he’ll ever be an asset on defense — that’ll probably never happen — it’s how much it’ll take away from his offensive production.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
