Free-agent outfielder Nick Castellanos, who grew up in South Florida, has drawn interest from the Miami Marlins during this offseason, per multiple reports.
But MLB Network's Jon Heyman tweeted Monday that he wonders whether the Marlins will be able to afford Castellanos - who played the past two seasons for the Cincinnati Reds and was an All-Star last season - given the news that Derek Jeter has stepped down as Miami's CEO.
From Heyman via Twitter:
Last November, Castellanos was drawing interest from the Marlins and San Francisco Giants among other teams, according to a report from MLB Network's Jon Morosi.
Castellanos opted out of the final two years of his contract and rejected a one-year, $18.4 million qualifying offer from the Reds.
Castellanos' agent, Scott Boras, reportedly spoke to the Marlins about the first Reds player to win a Silver Slugger Award since Jay Bruce in 2013.
"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 in November. "And frankly, we're just going to sit back and see what teams have been naughty and nice."
Castellanos hit .309 with 34 home runs and 100 RBIs in 2021. 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 one of 14 players issued a one-year, $18.4M qualifying offer, a formality for top free agents. He was guaranteed $34M over the next two seasons when he opted out, but he's expected to get a deal for more than $20M per year.
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