The buzz began early Friday afternoon with an alert from our own Jim Salisbury. Despite the fact that it would take the team beyond the MLB luxury tax threshold, they were in hot pursuit of free agent outfielder Nick Castellanos.
Then, late Friday night, while almost everyone was either sleeping or tearing up their NCAA brackets, the news dropped: Castellanos is a Phillie.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Philadelphia sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
This. Is. Huge.
This signing gives the Phillies one of the most formidable lineups in baseball. They have no fewer than five guys who can mash 25-plus homers. A slow-pitch softball slugging team in red pinstripes. Outfield seats will be at a premium this season for the souvenir opportunities alone.
Just in case anyone wasn’t buying Jimmy Baseball’s report, Castellanos himself subtly announced his arrival in Philadelphia.
And as fully expected, Phillies Twitter exploded as the news broke.
This summer in gonna be fun. Welcome to Mash City, Nick.