*Photo from Forbes*
It appears that Kyle Schwarber is not the only impact power bat coming to the city of brotherly love. The Philadelphia Phillies and OF Nick Castellanos have agreed to a 5 year, $100 million deal, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman. The Phillies have not confirmed the signing.
After signing Schwarber, it appeared that the Phillies were done chasing big names, instead looking to add a bench bat to replace Brad Miller. But, with Castellanos still on the market, and still a power hitter, the Phillies took a run at him, and were able to land both Schwarber and Castellanos in the span of a week.
With the signing of Castellanos, the Phillies have exceeded the first luxury tax threshold, the first time they have done so in team history. But, for the bat Castellanos brings to an already deep lineup, it's well worth it, as the NL East has some good pitching staffs, and the Phillies are looking to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2011.
Last season, with the Cincinnati Reds, Castellanos made the NL all star game and hit for a strong .309 average with a .576 slugging percentage and .939 OPS, blasting 34 home runs to go with exactly 100 RBI's, playing in 138 games for the Reds, who came in 3rd place in the NL Central.
In Castellanos's 9 major league seasons, split between 3 teams, he has a .278 average, .486 slugging percentage, and .814 OPS, hitting 168 home runs with 594 RBI's in 1,086 regular season games since debuting in 2013. Castellanos has 4 hits, including one home run, in 5 career playoff games.
Castellanos brings defensive versatility to Philadelphia, despite the fact that his defense has never been above average, with -43 OAA since 2016. He can play both left and right field, as well as 3rd base, where he played early in his career. He could also face a DH platoon with either Schwarber or Bryce Harper.
Castellanos joins Schwarber as the two big ticket offseason additions, also joining new additions Jeurys Familia, Johan Camargo, Odubel Herrera, and Corey Knebel.
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