Cincinnati Reds outfielder Nick Castellanos declined the team’s one-year, $18.4 million qualifying offer and officially became a free agent, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported Monday.
If Castellanos signs a contract with another team for more than $50 million, the Reds will receive a compensation pick after the first round of the 2022 draft.
An All-Star for the first time in 2021, Castellanos already opted out of the final two years and $32 million on the four-year, $64-million deal he signed with the Reds in advance of the 2020 season. He also had an opt-out last offseason.
Castellanos batted .309 with 34 homers and 100 RBIs in 138 games last season. He is a career .278 hitter with 168 homers and 594 RBIs in 1,086 games with the Detroit Tigers (2013-19), Chicago Cubs (2019) and Reds.