Rocio Robles
Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Nick Castellanos reflected Thursday on what happened regarding his future during the offseason, in which he remained a free agent until mid-Spring Training.
Nick Castellanos revealed that the Miami Marlins were primarily interested in his services during the offseason after he was one of several players cut from the Cincinnati Reds. Castellanos, a native of Davie, Florida, was quite excited to play for his home state team, but it all seemed to fall through when then-Marlins CEO Derek Jeter stepped down from his position within the team in mid-March.
Before his game against Miami on Thursday, he commented: “Until Jeter and the Marlins parted ways, I really thought I was going to be a Marlin.” However, things did not happen as Nick Castellanos would have liked, and he would end up signing with the Philadelphia Phillies on a five-year, $100 million contract, with whom he has had a good start of the season, hitting for a .296/.345/.556 average with a total of four RBIs, a homerun and 8 hits in 27 at-bats.
While Nick Castellanos did not end up joining the Marlins, it is safe to conclude that the team has significantly improved at his position. The Phillies’ current designated hitter can also play outfield. Additionally, Miami was reinforced with World Series MVP Jorge Soler and Avisail Garcia heading into this 2022 MLB season while Derek Jeter was still serving his tenure with the team.
Apparently not only did Castellanos want to join the Marlins, but the team itself was working hard to make his dream come true. C.C. Sabathia, Derek Jeter’s former teammate during his career with the New York Yankees, commented on his podcast that Jeter “was working hard to sign Nick Castellanos.” The former pitcher also commented that Jeter felt “upset” as regards the organization, and that his departure seemed imminent.
Nick Castellanos will undoubtedly be missed by the Marlins
While his position is well covered, the Miami Marlins would not have refused the arrival of Nick Castellanos. The outfielder is coming off one of his strongest seasons to date (2021) with the Cincinnati Reds, connecting for the most homers in a single season in his career (34) and posting a .309 batting average and 101 RBIs — both marks Castellanos’ second-best in a single season. All this earned him his first call to the All-Star Game.
It seemed to end badly for both sides, but the story had a happy ending for the Phillies, who won a key player battle against a direct rival and secured a recently proven MLB bat as they attempt to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2011.
