'No Nonsense Nick' brings edge, a hunger to win and a big bat to Phillies originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Last week, the Phillies took a big step toward completing their lineup when they signed free-agent slugger Kyle Schwarber.
The next day, Scott Boras was on the phone with Phillies president of baseball ops Dave Dombrowski.
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"Nice cake," Boras said. "Now here's the frosting."
The frosting was unveiled at Phillies camp on Wednesday. It wasn't super-sweet, but that's OK. Nick Castellanos isn't here to be cuddly. He's here to punish baseballs and help the Phillies break the longest postseason drought in the National League.
"This is how I feed my family," he said. "I don't have a college degree. I hit baseballs.
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"I've played over 1,000 big league games and I have zero playoff wins. I've made money and I've hit homers. I've played on TV. But I haven't won no games that matter."
Boras, Castellanos' agent, called his client "Dr. Direct."
"He's really built for an audience like this," Boras said. "I think what everybody in Philadelphia will come to understand is there's no nonsense with Nick. It's, 'I've got to win, I want to win, I've never won, I'm going to win.' That's kind of his attitude."
Three years ago, Boras delivered Bryce Harper to the Phillies for $330 million over 13 seasons. Castellanos, a product of the same 2010 draft as Harper, comes for $100 million over five seasons. That'll buy a lot of groceries.
A few days before landing Castellanos last week, the Phillies signed Schwarber for four years and $79 million.
Once the Phillies landed Schwarber, Boras believed the Phillies would take the next step and go for Castellanos. That belief was rooted in the conversations he and Harper had with owner John Middleton three years earlier.
"John made a commitment to Bryce that when the club had fits and opportunities, he would do things," Boras said. "He's very much honored that.
"When the DH set in, it allowed for another big bat to come in and they took advantage of it."
Boras had to do little selling of Castellanos to Dombrowski. Once upon a time, when he ran the Tigers, Dombrowski drafted Castellanos and brought him to the big leagues.
But just in case Dombrowski needed any more convincing, Boras had ammo. (He always does.) Citing evaluations done by his own team of analysts, Boras determined that, even with Schwarber, the Phillies' lineup did not quite measure up to the one the NL East rival Braves will trot out.
Did he share his evaluations with Dombrowski?
"Of course," Boras said. "Your job is to feed the lions."
Once Castellanos was solidified as a target, Dombrowski went to ownership and got the approval to take the payroll where it has never gone before -- to $240 million, $10 million over the luxury tax threshold.
After watching the Phillies last season, his first with the club, Dombrowski decided that he needed to make some clubhouse adjustments.
Schwarber, who has been to the postseason six times and won a World Series, brings a winning pedigree and left-handed pop.
Castellanos brings edge, a little sneer, a ravenous hunger to win and right-handed pop.
"He's a great offensive player, but he brings more than just a bat to the lineup," Dombrowski said. "He brings an attitude, an approach. His uniform is always dirty. He's never content."
Boras described Castellanos as "unforgiving to himself. He's always trying to get better."
Castellanos turned 30 earlier this month. He, Harper and Manny Machado all played together on National teams as youngsters. Harper was part of the Phillies' recruiting process in landing Castellanos. He pestered Boras, lobbied Phillies management and texted Castellanos frequently.
Last season, Castellanos hit .309 with 34 homers, 100 RBIs and a .939 OPS with Cincinnati. Manager Joe Girardi plans to hit him in the middle of the batting order and play him in left field, right field (when Harper needs a break in the field) and at DH. Castellanos played third base as a youngster but hasn't been there since 2017. It's unlikely he goes back there, but he still likes to take balls there in workouts, so ...
In the end, he's here to add thunder to the offense.
"We have a chance to score a lot of runs with this lineup," Dombrowski said.
If the Phillies don't score runs, if their postseason drought rises to 11 seasons in 2022, they will surely hear it from impatient fans.
No Nonsense Nick has no problem with that.
He isn't here to be cuddly.
"If you're playing well, they will let you know," he said. "If you suck, they'll let you know.
"I can live with that."
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