Are the Cubs and Braves interested in Tigers outfielder Nicholas Castellanos?
It's possible because both teams had scouts in attendance for Detroit's game against Toronto on Friday, according to MLB.com.
Nicholas Castellanos, who has a 1.090 OPS this year against LHP, is an ideal fit for NL clubs who could encounter #Dodgers LHPs Ryu, Kershaw, Urias and Hill in a playoff series. Notably, the #Cubs and #Braves have scouts in Detroit tonight. 🤔 @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 20, 2019
Now before we go further we must say every team scouts every other team no matter what, so having scouts in attendance isn't necessarily a big deal. At the same time, the game Saturday featured Marcus Stroman and Matthew Boyd pitching as well.
The Braves are almost undoubtedly looking at some pitching help and the Cubs could be thinking about making a move themselves, but that is not quite as likely.
Castellanos is very much a one-trick pony as he is a good hitter but isn't the best fielder in the world. That's why he might actually make sense for Chicago and Atlanta though. He's not someone they will have to rely on for a long time. They can move on from him if he doesn't work because he's a free agent after the season.
We're not sure if the Braves really want Castellanos or not, but we are pretty sure the Cubs have been looking at outfielders.
According to The Athletic, the Cubs have interest in Diamondbacks outfielder David Peralta, so looking into Castellanos is far from out of the question.
Chicago is also a significantly better hitting team against righties than lefties and as MLB.com points out, Castellanos has a 1.090 OPS against lefties this year, so he would fit a need for the Cubs.
We'll see if the Braves really feel like going after him though.