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Things got very hectic in the closing minutes of the trade deadline. The Braves basically remade their entire bullpen within a span of 15 minutes and players were flying all over the place as sellers waited until the last possible moment to get the best possible deal.
Case in point: the Tigers. The Tigers were widely expected to sell off key assets at the trade deadline. Shane Greene was the first major domino to fall as he was sent to the Atlanta Braves for a pair of prospects. At the last second, they were also able to send a key bat to a contender.
Nick Castellanos to the Cubs, source tells ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 31, 2019
The Cubs have had to be creative at the trade deadline this season. They already acquired a veteran utility player in Tony Kemp from the Astros which is on-brand for the Cubs as they value versatility. However, in Castellanos, they get a bat-first player whose defensive acumen is...well, suspect. However, the Cubs had a need for a bat and given that Castellanos is a free agent at the end of the season, the cost to acquire him (and pay him) had to have been relatively minimal despite how good he has been at the plate in recent years. His 2019 season has been a bit of a letdown, however, as he has posted just a .790 OPS in 439 plate appearances this season with 11 homers.
No word yet on the return for the Tigers. We will update this article as that information becomes available.
**UPDATE**
The Tigers got two players back in the deal from the Cubs
Paul Richan and Alex Lange go from the Cubs to Tigers for Castellanos.
— Craig Mish (@CraigMish) July 31, 2019