Cubs Rumors: Team interested in Nicholas Castellanos, Shane Greene

Looking for bullpen help and an impact bat, the latest Cubs rumors have the team progressing in talks with the Tigers surrounding Nicholas Castellanos.

There’s little doubt the Chicago Cubs could be getting more production from their outfield. Albert Almora is little more than dead weight at this point and Kyle Schwarber is yet to turn into the player we’ve all hoped for since he broke onto the scene back in 2015.

Meanwhile, Ian Happ continues to refine his offensive approach at Triple-A Iowa – with no clear timetable set for his return to Chicago. It only makes sense the latest Cubs rumors have the team heavily interested in Detroit Tigers outfielder Nicholas Castellanos.

But the rumors don’t stop there. According to David Kaplan of NBC Sports Chicago, the Cubs are also interested in the Tigers’ All-Star closer Shane Greene, as well. Adding Greene to a pen that already features Craig Kimbrel at the back end would go a long way in giving the team one of the best relief corps in all of baseball.

Neither guy will come cheap – especially Greene. The right-hander is under team control through 2020. Meanwhile, Castellanos, who hit a walk-off for Detroit on Sunday, is purely a rental and will test free agency at season’s end.

Cubs Rumors: Castellanos is a punisher of left-handed pitchers

As a team this season, Chicago has managed a measly .244 average – the third-lowest mark among National League clubs. They rank eighth in terms of OPS against southpaws, at a very middle-of-the-pack .777. A major part of those struggles have come in the form of the team’s outfielders.

Almora is in the midst of the worst offensive season of his career. Entering play Monday, the 25-year-old outfielder carries a 68 OPS+ and an absolutely brutal .275 on-base percentage. He does rank third among NL outfielders in terms of fielding percentage – something that hardly comes as a surprise to anyone, but his woes at the dish have essentially rendered his defense a wash in terms of overall value.

Against southpaws, the Cubs outfielder has been pretty much useless, slashing .207/.244/.293. Despite this fact, Joe Maddon continued to put him in the lineup against lefties during the team’s recent 7-2 homestand, opting for Almora over Schwarber.

Speaking of Schwarber, the slugging corner outfielder hasn’t lived up to the hype – at least not consistently. He’s managed just 0.2 WAR so far this year, according to Baseball Reference, hitting exactly .230 against both right and left-handers. The power has been there, as it always is, but you can’t help but think there’s more there than what we’re seeing.

As for Castellanos, where Schwarber and Almora come up short at the plate, he thrives. He’s pounded left-handed pitching this season to the tune of an 1.152 OPS. The thought of having him in there against lefties, helping protect the rest of the Cubs order is nothing short of dreamworthy at this point.

And it’s not like the Tigers outfielder only hits for average, either. On the year, Castellanos is tied for the league lead with 34 doubles. Last year, he hit .289 with 46 doubles, 23 home runs and five triples – playing half of his games in cavernous Comerica Park. Castellanos hitting in Wrigley might not only look enticing to the Cubs, but the outfielder himself as he looks to pad his stats ahead of the offseason.

Cubs Rumors: Greene would push Tigers’ asking price much higher

Picking up a guy like Castellanos would cost the Cubs, to be sure. But Theo Epstein would have several things working in his favor in such a deal – namely that Castellanos is a rental – not a long-term asset.

But if Kaplan’s report is accurate and Chicago is, indeed, looking at Greene, as well, the entire dynamic of the deal changes in a big way. The right-hander is under team control through next season, as well – and could provide some stability for a club that could lose the likes of Steve Cishek, Brandon Kintzler, Brandon Morrow, Pedro Strop, Brad Brach and others to free agency.

On the year, Greene has 22 saves for the rebuilding Tigers – and has been about as close to a sure thing as possible out of the pen. He’s pitched to a career-best 1.25 ERA – although his 3.80 FIP suggests he might be bound for some regression. Still, his 0.861 WHIP, 5 H/9 and 10 SO/9 are nothing to shake your head at.

Given Strop’s major struggles this season and the fact you can’t expect to see Morrow ever take the mound again without fear of another injury, Greene could conceivably slot into the setup role ahead of Kimbrel – giving the Cubs a fearsome eighth and ninth-inning duo heading into the final months of the season.

The margin for error in the National League Central is thin – but if the Cubs want a deal for both of these guys, there’s going to be a long-term cost that some fans might not find to be all that palatable.