Chicago Cubs: Should team lock up Nick Castellanos before free agency?
By Ryan Sikes
Nick Castellanos has been excellent for the Chicago Cubs since being acquired at the trade deadline. Should the Cubs try to lock him up?
The Chicago Cubs were just able to get Detroit Tigers outfielder Nick Castellanos prior to the trade deadline on July 31. He has been arguably the best offensive pick up in quite some time. In the month of August, Castellanos has 9 doubles, 11 home runs and 20 RBI’s with the Cubs while slashing 0.357/0.390/0.732.
He’s no doubt kept the Chicago Cubs offense in the National League Central Divison race as they were limping along to what looked like another 2018 finish prior to making the trade.
It begs the question of whether the team should try to lock him up long-term before he hits free agency at seasons’ end. Castellanos will certainly be one of the most coveted free agents on the market after displaying what he is capable of in ballparks not named Comerica.
I said when the Cubs made the trade that a lot of the doubles and triples that Castellanos was hitting for Detroit would likely translate to more home runs in a park like Wrigley Field. That’s exactly what we are seeing.
The Cubs will certainly have some salaries coming off the books at the end of the year in Ben Zobrist, Brandon Morrow, and likely Pedro Strop, Brandon Kintzler, and Steve Cishek. Sure, the Cubs will need to spend some money to bolster their bullpen back up, but they need a guy like Castellanos for their offense long-term.
Albert Almora was not cutting it as the everyday centerfielder and is now in Triple-A Iowa trying to figure things out. Jason Heyward has done a fine job of sliding over to center and platooning with Ian Happ but Castellanos was the missing piece.
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The Cubs might still make some moves in the offseason which could see a core player like Kyle Schwarber get traded but the priority for this team should be to lock up Castellanos to a long-term extension before he hits free agency. It’s difficult to do during the season but not impossible.