According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Philadelphia Phillies and outfielder Nick Castellanos agreed to a five-year, $100 million contract, pushing the franchise to exceed the luxury tax for the first time in its history.
Over four months since opting out of his final two years under contract with the Cincinnati Reds, which would have paid him $34 million, Castellanos will now be making $20 million a year. The contract with Phillies was marginally higher than Cincinnati’s follow-up offer of $18.4 million, which Castellanos rejected, making him a free agent.
Phillies exceed luxury tax threshold
Reds will now get a compensatory 2022 draft pick that will fall after the first round. Phillies, who were within $13 million of the first luxury tax threshold after signing free agent Kyle Schwarber on Wednesday to a four-year, $79 million contract, are now well-above the the $230 million threshold after acquiring Castellanos.
Castellanos, 30, is coming off his best season with the Reds, finishing fourth in the NL batting race (.309), hitting 34 home runs (tied for 7th), driving in 100 runs (tied for ninth), ranking third in slugging (.576) and fourth in OPS .939. He also recorded a career-high 3.2 WAR, according to baseball-reference.com.
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