Cleveland Indians: Nicholas Castellanos is still out there

Nicholas Castellanos needs a job, and the Indians need an outfielder. Has his long stay on the open market strengthened the Tribe’s case for signing him?

It hasn’t been easy to get a read on the market for Nicholas Castellanos. He’s probably the best free agent outfielder in this class, and now that Marcell Ozuna is off the board, he’s definitely the best one remaining. The number of teams that would benefit from slotting him somewhere into the middle of their order is at least in the double digits. Yet he remains unsigned.

We can’t necessarily utilize Ozuna’s one-year, $18-million deal with the Atlanta Braves as any point of reference for what Castellanos can expect from his own contract. Ozuna was tagged with a qualifying offer by the St. Louis Cardinals; Castellanos has no such strings attached. Teams can sign him for however many years and as many dollars as they want to without having to worry about forfeiting a draft pick.

While Castellanos could fall short of Ozuna’s salary in terms of AAV, he’s almost certainly looking at a multi-year deal whenever he finally signs. The longer this situation drags on, the more sense he makes for the Cleveland Indians.

The Indians are notoriously frugal in free agency, but their front office has been known to be opportunistic at times. The most noteworthy and recent example of this was in the winter of 2016-17, when Edwin Encarnacion‘s demand dipped just low enough for the Indians to swoop in with a three-year offer worth $60 million.

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The major difference between that offseason and this one is that the Indians were coming off a World Series run, with excitement around the club’s potential at an all-time high and extra postseason revenue at their disposal. Still, the principle remains the same. There is a valuable contributor sitting there for the taking on the open market, and his price tag has presumably fallen to within the range where the Indians can capitalize if they are so inclined.

Castellanos will turn 28 just a few weeks before Opening Day; he is young enough to produce effectively over the life of a four-year deal. While he seemed understandably disenchanted by the prospect of wasting away in Detroit last season, a deadline move to the Cubs appeared to rejuvenate him.

Castellanos slashed .321/.356/.646 with 16 home runs in 51 games for Chicago, which is more on par with his impressive 2017-18 numbers in Detroit than with his sluggish first half of 2019. One would think that continuing to play for a contending team would consequently continue to breathe life into Castellanos’ offense, and the Indians fit that bill.

Beyond teams simply not wanting to fork over in excess of $15 million per year for an outfielder who falls short of superstar status, another detriment to Castellanos’ turn in free agency is his lack of defense. Castellanos’ glove is by no means alluring, meaning his bat needs to make up the difference in order for his suitors to feel they are getting a solid return on their investment. For the most part, he has held up his end of that bargain at the plate during his career.

At this stage in the game, and with their glaring question marks in the outfield, the Indians can’t afford to concern themselves too much with Castellanos’ suspect defensive ability. Cleveland needs another reliable hitter in its lineup – and at least one more everyday player in its outfield alignment. Castellanos fits both molds.

Even if his asking price is in the four-year range, there isn’t much risk involved for the Indians. There’s no reason to believe his offensive skill set won’t play well into at least his early 30’s, and if he has to transition to a DH role at some point then so be it. Cross that bridge when the time comes.

Castellanos would immediately improve the Tribe’s chances of winning in the present, and he’d help keep the roster afloat for the first year or two of the post-Francisco Lindor era that will begin, in all likelihood, after the 2021 season at the latest. Provided he’s not seeking something outrageous in the neighborhood of $20 million a year, the Indians at least need to be trying to work something out with Castellanos.

Regardless of where his value sits or how much sense he makes for the Indians’ roster, it would be surprising, for obvious reasons, if Castellanos actually signs with Cleveland. That said, if the Indians want to pounce on a buyer’s market and head into spring training on a positive note, Castellanos represents their best last chance.