3 Potential Replacements for Nick Castellanos the Chicago Cubs Should Consider Signing

The Chicago Cubs took a significant gamble at the 2019 MLB Trade Deadline this past season, making a move for former Detroit Tigers' outfielder Nick Castellanos in order to spur a late postseason push. The gamble worked well enough, as Castellanos was one of the league's best hitters down the stretch, but unfortunately, the Cubs still fell short of the playoffs for the first time since 2014.

Re-signing Castellanos is still within the realm of possibility this offseason. However, it's more likely than not that the 27-year-old talent moves on to another team, leaving Chicago with a massive hole to fill in its outfield.

With that in mind, here are three potential replacements for Nick Castellanos that the Cubs should consider signing this offseason.

3. Alex Gordon, LF/OF, Kansas City Royals

Alex Gordon may be on the wrong side of 30 years old, but he'd likely make for an excellent addition to Chicago's outfield should the Cubs pursue him. The three-time MLB All-Star has swung a solid bat in his 13 years in the league, sporting a .752 OPS while averaging 34 doubles and 18 home runs per 162 games since 2007. Gordon has lost some of his power stroke over the past three seasons (.686 OPS), but the seven-time Gold Glover's defensive prowess and ability to get on base (.339 career OBP) should provide him with enough value to be an every-day fixture in the Cubs' lineup.

2. Brett Gardner, OF/LF, New York Yankees

A career New York Yankee, Brett Gardner will test the free-agent market for the first time in his 12-year MLB career and the Cubs could certainly be interested in his upside. The 35-year-old outfielder enters free agency on the heels of arguably the best season of his professional career, boasting a .829 OPS with 28 homers and 74 RBI – both career-high marks. Gardner hasn't been as aggressive on the basepaths over the past couple of seasons (26 total stolen bases since 2018). However, the 2015 All-Star remains a quality table-setter (.342 career OBP) and hasn't recorded a season with less than 80 runs scored since 2012.

1. Avisail Garcia, OF/RF, Tampa Bay Rays

Avisail Garcia is arguably the most underrated free-agent outfielder on the market this offseason, and he would likely be a great replacement for Castellanos in the Windy City. Garcia quietly had one of the best seasons of his career with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2019, slashing .282/.332/.464 with 25 doubles, 20 homers, 10 stolen bases and 72 RBI in just 125 games played (530 plate appearances). Additionally, the 28-year-old talent would provide the Cubs with more lineup flexibility, as he's capable of playing all three outfield spots. A solid all-around hitter (.810 OPS since 2017) entering his prime, Garcia should be able to replicate the kind of production that Castellanos gave to Chicago down the stretch last season.

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Mike Esposito is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Mike Esposito also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username espo6891. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.