3 concerning contracts the Phillies need to unload any way they can

Which contracts should the Phillies get rid of to prevent them from weighing the team down in the near future?

Minnesota Twins v Philadelphia Phillies
Minnesota Twins v Philadelphia Phillies | Tim Nwachukwu/GettyImages
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Nick Castellanos 

Putting star outfielder Nick Castellanos in this category may come as more of a surprise to some, since he has been one of the Phillies’ key offensive catalysts for the past three seasons. But when Philadelphia signed Castellanos during the spring of 2022, he was coming off an All-Star season with the Cincinnati Reds in which he batted .309 with a .939 OPS, 95 runs scored, 34 home runs and 100 RBI in 138 games played. As a result, the Phillies were expecting much more of the same once he joined the club.

However, Castellanos has averaged just 76 runs scored, 22 home runs and 81 RBI while hitting just .263 in his three-year tenure with the Phillies thus far. More significantly, the bulk of his production came during his 2023 All-Star season, in which he put up 29 home runs and 106 RBI in 157 games that year. In fact, if we took a closer look at his entire tenure with the Phillies to date, Castellanos actually had a disappointing first year. On top of that, his past year was headed toward the same trajectory until he miraculously turned his season around after a horrendous start.

In addition, Castellanos’ defense in the outfield has been his main Achilles heel for much of the past three years with the Phillies. Despite registering 21 outfield assists and just three errors during that time frame, his -28 defensive runs saved and -23 outs above average have left many runs on the board for the opposition while often putting his team in a bind. In effect, Castellanos is just like another Kyle Schwarber, but without his equivalency in power and elite ability to get on base. But with Schwarber already occupying the designated hitter’s spot because of his defensive limitations as well, Castellanos is forced to remain in the field despite his defensive deficiencies. 

Turning 33 by the time the 2025 regular season rolls around, Castellanos isn’t getting any younger. Added to his slight regression in numbers both offensively and defensively this past year, his contract might not age well in his final two seasons with the Phillies.

There were rumblings that the Phillies had made Castellanos available in trade earlier this offseason (subscription required), as first reported by The Athletic's Matt Gelb. However, while the Phillies would be better off unloading his $20 million per season salary, Gelb did note that the Phillies would likely need to digest a significant amount of his remaining $40 million salary to get a trade done.

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