Nick Castellanos' agent, Scott Boras, spoke to the Miami Marlins about the free-agent outfielder who has played the past two seasons for the Cincinnati Reds, according to multiple reports Thursday - including one via Twitter from MLB Network's Jon Heyman.
Castellanos, who grew up in South Florida, was an All-Star in 2021 who hit .309 with 34 home runs and 100 RBIs, and Thursday night became the first Cincinnati Reds player to win a Silver Slugger Award since Jay Bruce in 2013.
Asked if he would entertain an offer from the Reds, Castellanos said, "Of course I would. Why wouldn't I? I feel like there's still a lot of valuable pieces that are very good to win with."
Castellanos was among Major League Baseball stars represented by Boras discussed by the agent Wednesday during a news conference at the GM meetings.
"I kind of advised all of you like two years ago, St. Nick was going to bring a lot of presents," Boras said of his client. "And frankly, we're just going to sit back and see what teams have been naughty and nice."
Castellanos opted out of the final two years of his contract and rejected a one-year, $18.4 million qualifying offer.
Castellanos was one of the 14 players issued a one-year, $18.4 million qualifying offer, a formality for top free agents. He was guaranteed $34 million over the next two seasons when he opted out, but he's expected to get a deal for more than $20 million per year.
In July, Boras said the following about Castellanos, who had signed a four-year, $64 million contract with the Reds before the 2020 season:
“You know, it’s what we expected when he went to Cincinnati. We knew that Nick certainly had the ability to get to the top of Everest. When he came to Cincinnati, he had climbed all the way to the summit. Now he’s getting to the top of the peak. I think everybody is understanding who Nick is. He’s one of the greatest high school hitters that has come out of the draft and I have a number of baseball people that tell me that. It’s really nice to see that come to fruition in the Major Leagues.”
The Enquirer's Paul Daugherty wrote last week in The Morning Line that Castellanos cashing in is good for him but it still feels like a punch in the face.
