Cincinnati Reds right fielder Nick Castellanos Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

All-Star Nick Castellanos likely to opt out of deal with Reds, become free agent

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 8/25/21

Nick Castellanos signed a four-year, $64 million contract with the Cincinnati Reds in 2020. It appears he intends on breaking that pact early.

According to MLB Network's Jon Heyman, Castellanos will likely opt out of the remainder of his contract to test free agency. He has two years and $34 million remaining on his current deal.

All-Star OF Nick Castellanos is likely to opt out with $34M, 2 yrs to go, joining Conforto, Marte and Schwarber at top of free agent OF list (*A.J. Pollock and Avi Garcia may qualify to opt out on plate PA, **Not counting Chris Taylor or Kris Bryant who play all over) @MLBNetwork
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) August 25, 2021

Opting out of his current deal should yield a much larger contract for Castellanos. The decision doesn't mean he won't return to the Reds, but the club will have to compete for his services and be the highest bidder to retain him this winter.

Castellanos has been a significant factor in the Reds' success this season, hitting .318/.376/.565 with 22 home runs and 70 RBI in 104 games. It has been the best season of his career thus far.

The 2022 free-agent class is lining up to be one of the most talented groups Major League Baseball has seen in years. If the All-Star outfielder hits the open market, he'll be one of the top players available this winter, joining Kris Bryant, Freddie Freeman, Trevor Story, Corey Seager, Carlos Correa, Javier Baez, Michael Conforto and Anthony Rizzo.

The Reds are second in the National League Central with a 69-58 record, 8.5 games behind the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers. Cincinnati is currently in the second wild-card spot, but the San Diego Padres are making a push to steal it.

So while Castellanos is at least thinking about his future now, he's still focused on getting the Reds into the postseason.

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