The Philadelphia Phillies are expected to make notable roster changes this offseason. However, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski didn’t provide much context as to how that will look during his end-of-season press conference on Thursday.
The Phillies’ infield is pretty much set with Bryce Harper and Trea Turner signed to long-term contracts, and Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott still under team contract. The outfield, on the other hand, may look a lot different in 2026.
Nick Castellanos not expected to return to Phillies in 2026
Nick Castellanos has one year left on his five-year, $100 million contract, but he may not have the chance to see it through. The veteran outfielder’s time with the Phillies has all but ended (subscription required), according to The Athletic’s Matt Gelb.
“Phillies are expected to either trade or release [Nick Castellanos], club sources have said,” per Gelb about Castellanos’ future with the team. “Dombrowski’s reluctance to say anything about Castellanos on Thursday affirmed that stance.”
Castellanos has had an up-and-down four years with the Phillies. He was an All-Star in 2023, has been a key contributor in the lineup, despite being streaky at times, and, surprisingly, has also played well defensively in right field since joining the Phillies in 2022.
After being one of the Phillies’ best and most consistent hitters through June this past year, Castellanos’ final months of the season were eventful in the wrong ways. The 33-year-old had a .206 batting average across the final three months of the regular season and was just 2-for-15 in the NLDS against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Castellanos hit .250, his lowest batting average in his four years with the Phillies, with 17 home runs and 72 RBI in 2025. His -0.6 fWAR ranked last out of 145 qualified players in the majors, and his -12 Outs Above Average was tied for last among outfielders.
Not only did Castellanos struggle mightily at the plate to end the season, but he also created significant headlines.
He was benched in June for saying something offensive to Phillies manager Rob Thomson after being lifted for defensive purposes. According to Gelb's team sources, that incident "left players and coaches alike disgusted" (subscription required).
Castellanos then found himself in a reduced role in September, platooning in right field. Amid his struggles and reduced playing time, Castellanos publicly revealed his relationship with Thomson. He had mentioned that the communication between the two has been questionable over the years and that they don’t talk much.
“Well, we’ll see what happens,” Dombrowski said about Castellanos’ relationship with the team, per MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. “I mean, I’m not going to get into specific players that are on our roster, under contract, but the things that you talked about are accurate, but we'll see what happens.”
Castellanos was brought to the Phillies to win a World Series. He and the team have failed to do that in the last four years, and he may not have the chance to accomplish it next year.