The Philadelphia Phillies have done what no one thought they would do. The team has finally gone over the luxury tax, and has signed another top free agent in outfielder Nick Castellanos. Castellanos got a deal of 5 years for $100 million from the Phillies, which was announced late Friday night by Jon Heyman.
With the signing of Castellanos, the Phillies could arguably have one of the top power lineups in baseball. The lineup will consist of players such as Bryce Harper, JT Realmuto, Rhys Hoskins, Kyle Schwarber, and now Nick Castellanos. The five of those players combined for a total of 145 home runs alone last year! To put into comparison how crazy that number is, the Phillies team as a total hit 198 home runs last year. That means that those five players combined hit 50 less homers than the entire Phillies roster last season. While these players may not have the same amount of home runs this upcoming season, it is still insane to think about how much power potential that this lineup will have. With the signing of Castellanos, the Phillies lineup could look something like this: Schwarber, Segura, Harper, Castellanos, Realmuto, Hoskins, Bohm, Gregorius/Stott, and then Herrera/Vierling. This lineup is one that Phillies fans will enjoy, and will definitely bring them into the ballpark.
Last season, Castellanos hit .309 with 34 home runs and 100 RBIs. He also had his first All-Star Game appearance as a member of the Cincinnati Reds. The outfielder led his Reds team in nearly every offensive category last year, which shows how good of a season he had. The only category he did not lead was home runs, and he came in second place behind Joey Votto who hit 36 home runs.
Overall, Castellanos is a big time addition to a Phillies team who could very well make a push for the NL East if everything goes to plan. They have a solid rotation with a good looking lineup, and a bullpen who got some new additions to help them out. John Middleton has always said that he would be willing to spend and go above the tax when he felt the time was right, and now the time was right. Overall, Phillies fans, you should be extremely excited about this signing, and the future of this Phillies team. Baseball is back in the City of Brotherly Love, and it is amazing.