St. Louis Cardinals: 3 soon-to-be free agent outfielders to keep an eye on

Why the St Louis Cardinals should keep an eye on Nick Castellanos

If you missed the brawl with the Reds during the first series of the season, and you don’t know who Nick Castellanos is, then let me give you a little background info. He is a 29-year-old right-handed bat with a career slash line of .274/.324/.476 and an OPS+ of 113.

Castellanos has played extensively at both third base and right field. The Cardinals don’t need a third baseman, but he could come in handy in right field, although not for his defensive prowess. This former first-rounder is another possible piece that could fit nicely in a Cardinal lineup with Arenando and Goldschmidt. From 2017 to 2019, he hit respectively, 26, 23, and 27 homers, along with 101, 89, and 73 RBI.

Not only can Castellanos hit for power, he also maintains OPS’s since 2016 of .827, .811, .854, .863, and .784 respectfully. Additionally, since 2016, his OPS+ has been as high as 154, but never lower than 112 before 2020.

I reached out to Redbird Rants site co-expert, Matt Graves, to get his opinion on Castellanos. Matt said, “Castellanos is definitely another middle-of-the-order bat that could help. At 29 this year he seems much older, but in a vacuum would be a perfect pickup.” Matt also added, “The problem is only whether or not, the dust-up earlier this season would make him, or the fans not want to come here.”

Castellanos signed a four-year $64 million contract in 2020 with the Reds. However, he has an opt-out clause at the end of the season, which would make him available for potential suitors. A trade deadline deal would only seem possible if the Reds believe Castellanos would choose to exercise his opt-out option.

To wrap up…

The St. Louis Cardinals are using 2021 to find out what they have with their young outfield. It’s still too early to make a judgment on any of these players. However, by the trade deadline, and certainly by the season’s end, the front office will have a better grip on what these guys can or can’t do.

If there are still weaknesses with the Cardinal offense at the end of the year, the improvement will likely be made in the outfield. This is where players like Michael Conforto, Eddie Rosario, and Nick Castellanos could come in.

I suspect Rosario could be available by the July 31st trade deadline. As far as Conforto is concerned, I agree with Ben Cerutti, probably not an option until the offseason. Castellanos depends on how the Reds are doing, and if they think they can retain him after the season.

None of these players are the type to carry a team alone to a championship, but all three would be nice pieces to add in the lineup to complement Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado.  In other words, they could be the finishes touches to push the Cardinals into a deep playoff run.