A new player has entered the market in power-hitting outfielder Nick Castellanos. The former Detroit Tiger and Chicago Cubs' right fielder exploded onto the scene last year once he made his way to the NL at the trade deadline. Now the San Francisco Giants are looking to keep him in the senior circuit.

Jon Morosi reports, the Giants are the latest team to express interest in Castellanos. This comes just a week after the Florida Marlins were reported to have joined the bidding.

Giants the frontrunner?

It appears a connection between the Chicago Cubs and the Giants is why the NL West team has an interest in Nick Castellanos.

Scott Harris, now the General Manager for San Francisco, saw firsthand the impact the outfielder had last year.

Harris was an assistant general manager with the Cubs during the 2019 season. Morosi reports the team that could eventually land the outfielder could come more into focus next week. That's when MLB's Winter Meetings take place. While the free-agent market has been a bit quiet, so far, it's expected there will be several big signings once those meetings commence.

The Giants, Marlins and Chicago Whitesox are all considered contenders in the race to land Castellanos. Morosi also believes, according to his sources, that the Chicago Cubs would like to land the player again as well.

Chicago Cubs still in the mix

Morosi says the Cubs have not ruled out bringing back the slugger. That makes some sense, considering just how good he was once he came to the North Side. After hitting .273 with 11 home runs in 100 games with Detroit, he was traded to Chicago. Over the next 51 games, the outfielder hit .321 with 16 homers.

Those offensive numbers had more than a few Cubs fans wanting the team to extend him before he could even hit the market. The right fielder wanted to test the free-agent waters and with at least four teams now in the mix, could end up with a decent payday.

As Bleacher Nation points out, there is a drawback when it comes to Nick Castellanos.

The outfielder is considered a liability on defense. That could be a problem in the Cubs' outfield as they will also likely be playing a less than stellar defensive player, Kyle Schwarber, in left field. It would seem likely Jason Heyward would play center if Castellanos comes back. While Heyward is well above average, defensively, in right field, he loses something in the defensive metrics when playing center.

When it comes to Nick Castellanos and the Chicago Cubs, there is also the question of just how much the team is going to be spending this offseason. Would Castellanos be the big get? Would the team be able to sign other free agents? Those questions could be answered as soon as next week.
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