Report: Phillies in serious talks with star outfielder Nick Castellanos
Although the Phillies made their first big splash in free agency on Wednesday signing Kyle Schwarber, they might not be finished.
According to multiple reports, the Phillies are in serious pursuit of Nick Castellanos. The star outfielder has drawn interest from multiple teams across the league, including the NL East rival Miami Marlins.
Nick Castellanos is coming off the best season of his career, being the backbone of the Cincinnati Reds team throughout his 138 games played. Castellanos slashed .309/.362/.576, with 34 HRs, 100 RBIs, 38 doubles, and an OPS of .939. He finished the season with a 3.2 WAR and played 135 games in left field for the Reds last season.
Castellanos has hit .278/.329/.486 throughout his career, and is the emotional impact player Philadelphia needs. The Phillies have never exceeded the luxury tax, but according to the rumors flying around the league, it seems Dave Dombrowski might want to change that.
Dave Dombrowski has had a close eye on Castellanos since the beginning. Dombrowski scouted the prospect back in his early days before the league and later selected him with the Tigers’ first-round pick in 2010.
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And now it’s all coming full circle. Dombrowski has his eyes set on the star outfielder and is ready to do something this franchise have never done: exceed the luxury tax.
If the Phillies do land Castellanos, the team will have many options with their lineup. Castellanos and Schwarber can both play left-field and DH. The Phillies lineup would have multiple star hitters, something they’ve lacked in years past.
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