That kind of winter for Cubs: Reds agree to deal with outfielder Nick Castellanos

A Cubs fan’s dream of a last-minute return of outfielder Nick Castellanos in 2020 got a rude awakening Monday with the news that he agreed to terms on a four-year contract with the National League Central rival Reds.

Despite months of budget-minded moves by the Cubs and what seemed like clear signals that Castellanos was priced beyond their means, Cubs social media seemed to hold strong to hope the longer Castellanos lingered on the free-agent market.

Barely a week ago, Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward perhaps unwittingly added a splash of fuel to that hope when talking about the Cubs’ quiet winter so far, saying plenty of time was left before Opening Day.

‘‘I know all you guys remember when I first got here in [2016] spring training, I think we were out on the practice field and Dexter Fowler walks up in street clothes after we thought he was going to sign with the Orioles,’’ Heyward said.

It would appear no such last-second turn of events is in store for the Cubs this time around. The Reds and Castellanos agreed to a four-year, $64 million contract, according to multiple reports, and all that awaited an official announcement was a pending physical.

For the Cubs, who benefitted from one of the summer’s best trades after acquiring Castellanos from the Tigers at the deadline, the small-market Reds landing him as part of an especially active winter only underscores the kind of offseason it has been for a big-revenue team whose budget is knotted around the luxury-tax threshold.

‘‘We love him,’’ Cubs president Theo Epstein said of Castellanos during the Cubs Convention this month. ‘‘That’s why we traded for him. He exceeded all our expectations. He’s a great player to have on the field for us and a great guy to have in the clubhouse. But he’s played himself into having a really good market, and we’re not sure we’re going to be able to bring him back. But we’re sure we’d like to have him back.’’

When asked specifically about whether Castellanos still being on the market at that point might suggest he was waiting on the Cubs, Epstein said: ‘‘I think he’s in a pretty good spot based on everything he’s done in his career and his age. But we’ll see.’’

Instead, the Cubs are expected this week to announce the signing of Steven Souza Jr., an outfielder who hit 30 home runs with an .810 OPS in 2017 before missing half of 2018 and all of 2019 with injuries.

It might not make fans forget about Castellanos, but it’s expected to be the first full-fledged, non-split, major-league contract the Cubs have added since a third-place finish contributed to a change in managers and the promise that trade talks might be in play for anybody on the roster.

Meanwhile, the Reds look like the runaway offseason winners in the NL Central. Whether it plays out that way, Castellanos makes it a $164 million offseason for a team that finished fourth in the division in 2019.

The Reds previously added infielder Mike Moustakas on a four-year, $64 million deal and left-hander Wade Miley on a two-year, $15 million contract in December. Japanese outfielder Shogo Akiyama signed with the Reds this month on a three-year, $21 million deal.

As much as Castellanos should improve the lineup, he adds more questions about how the Reds will find playing time for all their outfielders. They might have six players competing for three spots.

Loose trade rumors quickly arose that the Reds might look to move center fielder Nick Senzel, 24, a converted infielder.

Castellanos, whose 58 doubles last season rank 10th in major-league history, hit .289 with a .337 on-base percentage and an .863 OPS in 151 games last season, including a 1.002 OPS in 51 games with the Cubs.

He also drew interest this offseason from the Rangers, Giants and Cubs, according to reports.