Reds rumors: Cincinnati Reds showing interest in Nicholas Castellanos

The Cincinnati Reds seem determined to add a bat to their lineup. The latest Reds rumors suggest Cincinnati is after Nicholas Castellanos.

The latest Reds rumors should get the fans excited. After hearing names like Marcell Ozuna and Kole Calhoun throughout the week, it now appears that the Cincinnati Reds have turned their attention to, perhaps, the best hitter remaining on the open market. According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, the Reds are interested in former Chicago Cubs outfielder Nicholas Castellanos.

With Anthony Rendon off the board, Morosi says that sources claim both the Cincinnati Reds and Texas Rangers are after the services of Castellanos. Last season, Castellanos was traded midseason from the Detroit Tigers to the Chicago Cubs. Castellanos slashed .289/.337/.525  between the two leagues with 58 doubles, which was the most in all Major League Baseball.

Castellanos would be a major upgrade to the Cincinnati offense and is a right-handed, power-hitting outfielder that David Bell could slot in right behind the newly acquired Mike Moustakas in the batting order. After a decent start to the season with Detroit, Castellanos finished on a tear, hitting .321 and 16 home runs in 51 games for Chicago.

Snagging Nicholas Castellanos would not only improve the Reds fortunes heading into 2020, but it would also wound the hopes the Cubs, something Cincinnati did to the Milwaukee Brewers following the signing of Moustakas. The NL Central is ripe for the picking, and the aggressive nature of the Reds would seem indicate they’re aware of that fact.

Nicholas Castellanos has been one of the most talked about free agents among the fans. A quick look at his stat line would tell you why. While there is concern about his defense in comparison to the likes of Ozuna and Calhoun, Castellanos’ bat has the capacity to more than make up for what he lacks defensively.

With Scott Boras as his agent, you can bet that Castellanos will cash in this winter. Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg, Rendon, and Moustakas, all Boras’ clients, have signed for a collective $878M this offseason. With Castellanos, Hyun-Jin Ryu, and Dallas Keuchel also under his watch, Boras is likely to negotiate over $1B-worth of contracts in the coming weeks.

Hopefully having Rendon off the market clears the way for some of the other highly-productive offensive players to be signed in the coming days. The latest Reds rumors put the Rangers in the mix for Castellanos as well, so Dick Williams and Nick Krall have some work to do. Let’s hope it gets done very soon.