Nick Castellanos has proven many times over that he’s No. 1. Photo: twitter.com/reds

Philadelphia opened its wallet. Cincinnati didn’t.

That’s a big reason why free agent Nick Castellanos is wearing a Phillies jersey these days. Late Friday night, the former Cincinnati Reds outfielder agreed to terms with Philadelphia for a five-year, $100 million contract.

Castellanos, one of the stalled hot-stove season’s coveted bats, joins fellow outfielder Kyle Schwarber, who just got a four-year, $79 million deal with the Phillies. The acquisitions may have put Philadelphia over the team’s salary cap (ie, the MLB Competitive Balance Tax, which does not actually help smaller-market teams become competitive) – something Phillies leadership has said it would do for “contenders.”

That’s very different from what’s happening with the Cincinnati Reds, which apparently has launched another low-cost “rebuilding year” instead of bucking up for its powerhouses. In addition to losing Castellanos to free agency, the Reds recently traded away All-Star outfielder Jesse Winker, third baseman Eugenio Suárez and pitcher Sonny Gray. In return, Cincinnati acquired young players and prospects and cut payroll.

Reds fans have been craving a quality postseason berth, something they hadn’t truly seen in years. During the COVID-shortened 2020 season, the Reds made it to the Wild Card playoffs but lost the first round to the Atlanta Braves without scoring at all. Before that, Cincinnati hadn’t been to the postseason since 2013.

Unfortunately, it didn’t happen in 2021, when the Cincinnati Reds went 83-79. And longtime Reds first baseman Joey Votto took notice.

“I have higher expectations to be part of other large Major League moments,” Votto said in a recent interview. “That’s without question concerning to me. I’ve been in the same uniform my entire career. We haven’t done enough winning.”

Castellanos was considered one of the 2022 season’s best free agents, after an outstanding 2021 outing in which he batted .309, slugged .576, had 34 home runs and knocked in 73 extra-base hits. Castellanos also won the Silver Slugger award and was a starter for the National League during this summer’s MLB All-Star Game (teammate Jesse Winker joined in that honor).

In November, Castellanos opted out of the final two years of his Reds contract, which was worth $16 million per year. Castellanos then rejected the Reds’ Nov. 7 qualifying offer (the QO is set across Major League Baseball at $18.4 million for the 2022 season).

He later said he’d consider another offer from the Cincinnati Reds, saying, “Why wouldn’t I? I feel like there’s still a lot of very valuable pieces that are very good to win with.”

But talks between the Reds and Castellanos died down in December when MLB team owners initiated a player lockout that froze all free agency moves — along with workouts, spring training and the start of the 2022 season — because of a contract dispute. That lockout ended March 10, when MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association revealed that they had finally come to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement. Teams and players are now able to resume deals.

Still, the Reds ignored Castellanos and reportedly had no interest in re-signing the slugger. “We have not been engaged with his representatives,” Reds general manager Nick Krall reportedly said about a week ago.

The Phillies, on the other hand, are happy to have Castellanos, who can play multiple outfield positions as well as third base and the designated hitter slot.

“I think Nicky’s going to fit in with the city of Philadelphia really, really well,” Phillies right fielder Bryce Harper — who has known Castellanos since they were teenagers — said on March 19. “He has that demeanor, he has that energy, that spark. He loves the game of baseball. He’s a grinder. Only two times he’s ever been on the [injured list] is with his broken thumbs. He plays every day.”

Moreover, Harper and other Phillies players have recognized the front office making the financial moves necessary to bulk up the team with players like Castellanos and Schwarber.

“It’s incredible. I would never have thought that would have happened,” Bryce said. But like I said, you have to have the faith in [president of baseball operations Dave] Dombrowski and [principal owner] John Middleton to do their job, to get the team that’s best going out there. What a lineup we’re about to have.”

Though Castellanos had stayed on the free agent market a bit longer than experts had predicted (largely thanks to the MLB lockout’s stalled negotiations), it wasn’t due to lack of interest. The outfielder reportedly was under consideration by a number of teams until the Phillies scooped him up — including by the Miami Marlins, where New York Yankees icon Derek Jeter was CEO until February. The Marlins typically have a lower payroll and, thus, more losing seasons than other teams, but Jeter reportedly had made the case for Castellanos, urging the rest of the ownership group to sign the slugger. Former Yankees pitcher C.C. Sabathia recently said on his R2C2 podcast that Jeter was angry that the Marlins wouldn’t pony up the cash and contract years for someone like Castellanos, leading Jeter to step down from the team’s CEO role that he’d had for nearly five years.

The 2022 MLB season will start on April 7. 

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This article appears in Mar 9-22, 2022.