CLEVELAND -- The sight of Nicholas Castellanos joking around with plate umpire Laz Diaz on Monday, begging for another pitch from Indians reliever Nick Goody before the tarp went on the infield, was a good sign -- not for the weather, but for Castellanos.

When Castellanos is relaxed and having fun, he’s a better player. When he can share a laugh with an umpire, it’s a good sign. When he can plate runs as he did in Wednesday’s 7-2 loss to the Indians, it’s even better.

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“He's swinging good,” manager Ron Gardenhire said of his cleanup hitter. “He made a nice adjustment a few weeks ago with his swing, changed a little bit, and I think he's been barreling up a lot more baseballs. He hits it really hard.”

The one-run game Castellanos enjoyed Wednesday with his eighth-inning solo homer to the right-field seats didn’t last long before the Indians pulled away off Joe Jimenez. But as the Trade Deadline nears, now two weeks away, the impression Castellanos leaves on potential suitors lingers.

Though most of the teams with scouts in attendance -- the Braves, Rays and Dodgers among them -- are in search of pitching, Castellanos has the chance to create a trade market as the Tigers look to get some talent in return before he hits free agency. 

Like J.D. Martinez two years ago, Castellanos could be heating up at the right time for a Deadline deal. The question will be whether the Tigers can take advantage of it.

Detroit has been held to two runs or fewer in eight of its 12 games against the Indians this season, including four of its nine shutouts. Mike Clevinger seemingly had a direct course to another Tribe shutout, tying a career high with 12 strikeouts, before Castellanos turned on a curveball and lined it into the right-field corner for his Major League-leading 32nd double of the season. Jeimer Candelario’s ensuing RBI single ended a 14-inning Tigers scoreless streak.

Two innings later, Castellanos made Nick Wittgren pay for hanging a first-pitch changeup over the plate, sending a drive just over the fence in right-center. His 10th home run of the year was his first at Progressive Field since July 6, 2016.

Castellanos had 15 home runs and 56 RBIs at this point last season, along with a .305 average and an .881 OPS. The Tigers were listening to trade interest then, too, and found nothing they seriously considered. Unlike then, Detroit is pretty much in a now-or-never situation.

Castellanos will be a free agent at season’s end, and he hired Scott Boras as his agent early this season with that in mind. With Detroit clearly rebuilding, there’s little chance of a contract extension. The Tigers could hold on until season’s end and try to recoup a Draft pick by making him a qualifying offer as a free agent, but they would have to live with the possibility of Castellanos accepting a one-year deal potentially worth $19 million or more.

From a competitive standpoint, there could be worse fates. The Tigers would have a veteran hitter and team leader for another year as they try to work in younger players at other positions. Castellanos would have a one-year deal in a place where he’s comfortable, with the opportunity to hit free agency again at age 28.

When Miguel Cabrera talked about leadership a week and a half ago, he cited Castellanos as a leader.

“Nobody knows,” Cabrera said just before the All-Star break. “But we know.”

That’s fine with Castellanos.

“I’m not one for the limelight,” he said at the time. “I think that the guy who has to beat on his chest and call himself a leader is just the opposite. All I try to implement is that every guy in here is in charge of their career, the way they go about their business. 

“You have to let these kids learn these lessons on their own. I had to learn a lot of lessons on my own before I got to a place where I’m showing up to the ballpark ready to kick butt every day. Very few times does that just happen.”

One of the more recent lessons for Castellanos has been how to handle a contract year. The uncertainty, from pending free agency to his agent switch, seemed to weigh on him early in the season. 

“He doesn't talk about it a lot,” Gardenhire said. “I mean, we've had conversations about it here and there, about [how] you can't do anything about these trade rumors and all those things. He said, 'I can. If they just signed me to an extension, we wouldn't worry about it.' And I said, 'That's out of my department, too, yours and mine. I can't control any of it, and I don't think you can either, Nick. All you can do is go play and put up numbers, and be thankful that somebody is interested in you.'”

Castellanos has not drawn a ton of interest yet. More games like Wednesday could change that. He has looked more relaxed lately, and the numbers reflect it. Wednesday’s 2-for-4 performance raised his July average to .321 (17-for-53) with six doubles, two home runs, eight runs scored and nine RBIs. Go further back and Castellanos is batting .314 (44-for-140) with 14 doubles, four homers and 13 RBIs over his last 36 games, reaching base safely in 32 of them.

Gardenhire moved Castellanos to the cleanup spot on this road trip this week with the idea of getting him to the plate with more RBI opportunities.

“He’s working on not chasing as much out of the [strike] zone,” Gardenhire said. “And when he stays in the zone, you see the ball jumping all over the place. Nick can hit. He’s always been able to hit.”

It’s showing at just the right time, for the Tigers and maybe another club.