Chicago Cubs: 5 bold moves to turn the team into World Series contenders

Chicago Cubs: Nick Castellanos hits OK at Wrigley Field, right?

OK, OK, so I sort of tricked you again here. No it’s not Rizzo or Bryant (who were actually eclipsed in production by Frank Schwindel and Patrick Wisdom in the second half), but it’s another guy who can hit and is right in the prime of his career. Nick Castellanos is also a guy who loves hitting at Wrigley; he has hit ridiculously well there and loves playing in Chicago to boot. Oh, and all he’s done this year is basically put up MVP-type numbers for the Reds.

The 29-year-old Castellanos is another guy who could benefit from that proposed DH, allowing leery NL teams to sign him to play some outfield and some DH, perhaps even adding on to the number of years they’d be willing to extend to him with the DH option available. Castellanos is not a good fielder, but he’s definitely a good hitter, and between him and Schwarber would make a fearsome 3-4 punch in the middle of the lineup as right-handed and left-handed power guys.

Castellanos is still under contract with Cincinnati, but he has an opt-out this offseason, and with his big 2021 numbers, is almost  guaranteed to test the free agent waters to better his remaining  three years and $52 million left on the contract. One would think it’s reasonable that Castellanos could add $20-30 million onto those three remaining years and even be able to extend the deal another year or two.

All the Cubs have to do is make a play, and he could be coming back to a place where he loves to hit (.364/.401/.727 with 22 doubles and 12 bombs in 40 career games at Wrigley) for 82 games a year.