Detroit Tigers: Al Avila Made A Mistake With Nicholas Castellanos
By Tyler Kotila
Over the course of the past two years, the Detroit Tigers have had continuous rumors about outfielder Nicholas Castellanos; Tigers GM Al Avila has pretty much sealed his fate as trade bait.
The Detroit Tigers have been in a rebuild for quite some time now, and the rumors surrounding Nicholas Castellanos are no stranger to Tigers fans. The rumors about his trade have been just as frequent as rumors of an extension and move to first base. Tigers General Manager Al Avila has specifically alluded to Castellanos being trade bait this year.
Here’s the issue, Castellanos is twenty-seven year old who is hitting .260/.317/.449 with an OPS of .765 alongside seven home runs and twenty-four RBI for the Tigers. These numbers do not really blow anyone’s socks off, for a player who is “supposed to” net a good return. With the way his season has gone, Castellanos is on pace to have a steep drop in statistics, and his worst year in the last three.
That being said, what I am about to say may sound ridiculous to some, but it seems like it’s the truth with some explanation. Al Avila should have extended Castellanos, paid the man, and committed him to play first base. Before I go further, Miguel Cabrera‘s injury situation was not fully known the last two years which makes a difference if Cabrera would be playing first base, but the rumors of Castellanos moving to first have been around during those years.
Castellanos: "So last year, when obviously there was no commitment towards me, I chose: I just want to stick to right and try to be as good as I can in one spot. That was the first time where I said no. I've said yes a lot. So last year, it was just like, no, not right now."
— Jason Beck (@beckjason) June 14, 2019
Castellanos: "I'm not a general manager. I'm not out here begging for an extension. I'm not out here saying that what they're doing is wrong. That's their job. They have to do it the best way that they see fit, with the people that they see fit. And my job is to play baseball."
— Jason Beck (@beckjason) June 14, 2019
Castellanos wants security and clarity, as do most major league players around his age, looking for a franchise home. The Tigers had the opportunity to lock up J.D. Martinez as our generational guy, and they did not do so, which is understandable given the rebuild that ensued.
Castellanos should have an extension, and clarity that he will be the first baseman of the near future for this franchise. With a rebuild end supposedly in sight for 2021-22, it allows him to get to know this young talent, weed out the ones who will be here for the long haul, and of course, continue through his” prime” years.
The general consensus is that Castellanos should be traded for whatever package Avila gets fleeced with next and be done with it, but letting another player get away who could be a relatively central piece to the package would be a crime.
Next. Moving Miguel Cabrera to a permanent designated hitter. dark
It sure seems like trading Castellanos after he openly is willing to be extended is not the best move for the Detroit Tigers. This is pretty much too late, the news of a trade between now and the deadline is just increasing as the day goes on… but Avila made a mistake by not extending Castellanos and committing to him as our first baseman through this rebuild.