Reds not pursuing Castellanos, eye 'long-term success'

Though the Reds still have some work to do to fill out their roster by Opening Day, bringing back Nick Castellanos is not on the club's to-do list.

"We have not been engaged with his representatives," said general manager Nick Krall, speaking Saturday for the first time since the end of the lockout.

Castellanos remains one of the top available free agents after opting out of the final two years of his contract in November. The 30-year-old outfielder hit .309 with a .938 OPS, 34 home runs and 100 RBIs for the Reds last season, earning his first career All-Star selection and finishing 12th in NL MVP voting.

So with the door seemingly shut on a potential Castellanos return, where does that leave the Reds' outfield picture?

For now, the club is looking at Jesse Winker in left field and Tyler Naquin in either center or right field. As for the other spot, Krall said the team is still waiting to evaluate Nick Senzel, who underwent season-ending left knee surgery in May, and Shogo Akiyama, who battled hamstring woes on his way to a disappointing 2021 campaign.

While the Reds could certainly piece together a starting outfield internally -- pending the results of those evaluations once everyone arrives in camp -- they do have spots to fill elsewhere.

Prior to the lockout, Cincinnati traded Tucker Barnhart to the Tigers, and two days later, lost Wade Miley to the Cubs on waivers. That opened up a backup-catcher spot, as well as competition for the fifth starter spot behind Luis Castillo, Sonny Gray, Tyler Mahle and Vladimir Gutierrez. There are also some bullpen roles that need to be filled.

"We have open spots. We’re trying to fill those externally," Krall said. "Some people will step up and take spots, whether it’s Major League free agents, [non-roster invitees] -- we’re working through the whole gamut of solutions right now."

Of course, given the moves before the lockout, it's also reasonable to wonder what else the Reds may have in store in the coming weeks. Krall said he has been in contact with every team since the lockout ended, though "we haven't gone down the road with anything yet."

"Right now, we’re fielding calls from everybody. Seeing where everybody is, seeing where we are and how to make this club better," Krall said. "Our goal is to make this organization better and continue to make our organization better. It’s about building the long-term success and sustainability. If there’s something out there, I don’t want to say yes or no, but we’re evaluating everything that we have."

Assuming the Reds don't move any of their other starters like Castillo or Gray, there are several internal options to fill out the rotation. That list includes top prospect Hunter Greene, as well as No. 2 prospect Nick Lodolo. It also features the likes of Reiver Sanmartin, Riley O'Brien and Tony Santillan, among others.

"If you're in camp," Krall said, "you've got a shot to win a job."

For now, the Reds are in wait-and-see mode with the majority of the club's 40-man roster expected to arrive in Arizona on Saturday night or Sunday. At that point, Cincinnati will continue evaluating all of its options, both internally and externally, as it prepares for Friday's Cactus League opener against the Guardians.

"Whatever we do, our focus is looking at long-term success and focus on sustainability," Krall said. "Everything we’re doing is geared toward those two goals in mind."