Colorado Rockies rumors: The contract it would take to sign Nick Castellanos

The Colorado Rockies and outfielder Nick Castellanos seem to be a fit on paper, but what kind of money will it take for the Rockies (or any other team) to sign him this offseason?

What kind of contract will the Colorado Rockies need to offer Nick Castellanos to sign him this offseason?

We have already stated that the Rockies should pursue Castellanos this offseason after the 29-year-old outfielder opted out of the final two years of his contract, leaving $34 million on the table. The Reds have extended a qualifying offer (one year, $18.4 million) to Castellanos with the thought not that Castellanos would accept it, but rather Cincinnati could recoup a draft pick should Castellanos sign with another team.

Apparently we aren’t the only ones thinking the Rockies and Castellanos would make sense. Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that not only is Colorado a “best fit” for Castellanos, but also the Texas Rangers, New York Mets, Washington Nationals, San Diego Padres, Cleveland Guardians, and Chicago White Sox fall into that category as well.

So how much would it take for any of those teams to sign Castellanos? Bowden predicts a five-year, $126 million deal is what it will take to land him and, with Scott Boras as his agent, that number could well be reached or even surpassed.

Heading into next season, Colorado have five guaranteed non-arbitration contracts on the books, with Charlie Blackmon’s $21 million highlighting the most of the roughly $54 million that the group is due. With Bowden’s prediction, Castellanos would earn an average annual value of $25.2 million and, if the Rockies were to ink him to a deal, it would make him the highest-paid player on the team.

Castellanos and Blackmon would not only share places at the top of Colorado’s payroll, but also a position as well. Over his last two seasons, Castellanos has played 192 games in right field and just 11 games in left field (all in 2020). Right field, however, is the same position Blackmon has held down since the start of the 2019 campaign. If Colorado brings Castellanos on board, that’s a dilemma that will need to be solved (and could well be with the designated hitter likely coming to the National League in 2022).

So what will it take to bring Castellanos to Colorado? A commitment to a big contract and a solution to where that big contract should play.