The feed cut off for me as they were asking him what position he'd play. What did they say as to how they'll use him?
The feed cut off for me as they were asking him what position he'd play. What did they say as to how they'll use him?
He said, in so many words, that it would be up to Bell, and that as long as his bat is in the lineup he will play wherever the Reds want him to in the field.
He came across like a prototypical baseball robot man - short on words, a lot of discussion about clubhouse attitudes, and when asked what his goals were for the season he said "win" and turned the mic away.
Ron Madden (01-28-2020)
I wasn't super surprised about that - it's kind of a bad question where what people speculate on RedsZone is almost certainly accurate, with a tiny caveat (like 1%) that Castellanos simply enjoys playing in Cincinnati, independent of production, and/or going into FA isn't seeming as lucrative as playing out the remainder of the deal would be.
As stated earlier, the scenarios basically come down to:
-NC rakes, opts out after 2020, and Reds offer QO which is declined, netting Reds comp pick
-NC rakes, opts out after 2021, and Reds offer QO which is declined, netting Reds comp pick
-NC rakes, opts out after 2020 or 2021, and Reds offer QO which is accepted, meaning NC stays around at basically the same salary for another year
-NC doesn't play well enough to warrant delving into FA again, Reds have him through 2023
-NC is terrible or gets hurt, Reds have him through 2023
I'd say, given NC's profile, that scenarios 1, 2, or 4 are most likely, probably in order. Scenario 5 is just the simple concern that any player under contract has, NC isn't an injury risk and is young.
Ron Madden (01-28-2020)
I get the impression that winning is most important to Nick. So if the Reds win the NL Central our chances of keeping him are pretty good.
Plus Plus (01-28-2020),Ron Madden (01-28-2020)
Which means something, just not everything. All I am saying is the Rule 5 guy? That's a mirage. Siri at least is a plus defender, and has shown power as recently as 2017. Then his power dipped as he advanced. Maybe he peaked, or maybe he's still young enough to have an Aquino like resurgence at Louisville this year. I hope the Reds keep him and he flourishes enough to be enticing as a trade piece if nothing else.
Dubito Ergo Cogito Ergo Sum.
Players who have received the QO still seem to have a more difficult time signing, often for less than what the QO was. While it may not be as big of deal anymore, if you are comparing two similar players, and one has the QO and one doesn't, guess who has a more favorable situation.
Go back and look over the past 5 years and see what kinds of contracts were given to the mid level free agent players. The top guys are still getting PAID, but the second tier, the guys who are good, maybe all stars, maybe fringe MVP candidates, maybe guys who get a vote or two, aren't getting paid. They are capping out around the $16-$18M and they aren't getting more than four years.
Honestly, I think the Reds brass knows that unless something very unlikely happens, Castellanos deal right now is the best long term deal he is going to get. If he opts out, he may be playing the FA market for years to come.
"Today was the byproduct of us thinking we can come back from anything." - Joey Votto after blowing a 10-1 lead and holding on for the 12-11 win on 8/25/2010.
DocRed (01-28-2020)
I don’t really understand how this contract is a positive for the Reds outside of not being an overpay like MM.
I thought the goal for a team was to “lock em up”. Why not just sign him to an Ozuna deal? I can’t see how this flexibility benefits anyone but the player. If he’s awesome he’s gone (likely) , if he sucks, we’re stuck with him.
If he hits 40HR and 50 doubles, he’ll be outta here 5 minutes after the WS ends... I guess if we are wearing the ring it doesn’t matter. :-/
REDREAD (01-28-2020)
HammerTime (01-28-2020),M2 (01-28-2020),Redeyecat (01-29-2020),Ron Madden (01-28-2020),Tuff Nut (01-28-2020)
The 24 HR's Siri hit in Dayton almost equaled the Rule 5 guy's career total prior to last year. (btw, I'm going to keep calling him that. no need to remember his name, he's headed back to the team the Reds claimed him from.)
Siri has power. The Reds changed the stance/approach of Aquino, VanMeter and the notorious BOG. All saw huge improvements in their offensive game because of it. Will Siri, given the chance, see the same or similar improvements? If he goes unclaimed, we might see, and he might be a diamond in the rough.
Probably nothing comes of it, but for a change, I'm not down on the Reds development staff. It seems they finally have a system/philosophy when it comes to hitting and pitching. Bodes well, I think.
Dubito Ergo Cogito Ergo Sum.
Seems like a giant ball of "who cares?" Siri needs to be off the 40. Payton won't be making the team. Schebler's probably gone before the season starts. I wouldn't sweat the order of perfunctory operations. Also, Siri will clear waivers. He's the new Dilson Herrera. No one wants that guy.
I'm not a system player. I am a system.
GAC (01-29-2020),Mitri (01-28-2020),Wonderful Monds (01-28-2020)
I’m in agreement with this. I think there’s actually a really good chance that Castellanos doesn’t take the first opt out and waits until the expiration of the current CBA following the 2021 season. If he has a really bad experience in Cincy or if he goes completely out of his mind and garners MVP votes in 2020, that could obviously change the calculus.
I suspect the Reds wanted pay flex to do something else (probably a reliever or two). To get Castellanos for one year might have cost $20-22mm (I'm guessing). Instead they offer him $16mm and something else valuable, the downside protection of the 4 year deal. The extra opt out in year two is also really valuable. The Reds are paying a lot to Castellanos in option value instead of paying him in cash. Boras must have convinced the Reds that his client would only sign away his very valuable age-28 season for big money. This structure gets NC into Cincinnati for one year and leaves Reds with several million to spend elsewhere.
Redeyecat (01-29-2020)
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