Nick Castellanos: "I was extremely fortunate Tigers traded me"

Once upon a time, Nick Castellanos wanted to spend his entire career with the Tigers. Then they plunged into a rebuild from which they've yet to emerge and Castellanos wound up with the Cubs at the 2019 trade deadline. He's gone on to play in dozens of playoff games and the World Series and land two big-money contracts, the most recent a five-year, $100 million deal with the Phillies.

None of that would have been possible in Detroit. Which is why Castellanos is both grateful and a little regretful looking back on it, as he did Monday before the Phillies' 8-1 win over the Tigers at Comerica Park.

“I was extremely fortunate they traded me in 2019. But also sad on what was left behind. Because the kid in me wanted the opportunity to be like Jose Ramirez with the Guardians, somebody who is able to stay in one place the whole time," Castellanos said, via the Detroit News.

The Tigers, meanwhile, are mired in their eighth straight losing season. The last time they made the playoffs was Castellanos' rookie season; their nine-year drought is tied with the Angels for the longest in baseball. The losing weighed on Castellanos toward the end of his tenure in Detroit. He went from playing on star-studded rosters to a team stripped down to spare parts.

"But even if you’re in one city and it’s 15 years of losing, and then on the 16th year you win that one ring, it makes all that (crap) worth it,” he said. “I was sad to see that float away. But I was excited for a new opportunity to go play baseball and be on a team that was fighting for a chance in October. I mean, when I got traded, it wasn’t very promising here.”

A two-time All-Star since leaving Detroit, Castellanos hasn't played up to his standard this season. He's hitting .226 with a .670 OPS, but he's been heating up with an .831 OPS in June. He's still a middle-of-the-order bat on one of the best teams in baseball. The Phillies are pacing the majors at 52-26; the Tigers are falling out of the playoff race at 36-42.

You can understand why Castellanos considers himself fortunate.

“It’s cool being back and being able to think about the head space I was in here and everything that has transpired in my baseball career and in my life," he said. "It’s kind of a cool full-circle moment.”