The Philadelphia Phillies accomplished their most important task this offseason during the MLB Winter Meetings: re-signing Kyle Schwarber to a five-year, $150 million contract. The move is significant, but the front office still has much to do before the 2026 season.
One of the issues that Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski aims to resolve by the start of next season is deciding what to do with Nick Castellanos. Following their NLDS loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, it's clear that the right fielder's time with the Phillies is at its end, despite his contract not expiring for another year.
The decision will not be a simple one to make for Dombrowski. According to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki, teams expressed little to no interest in trading for Castellanos during the MLB Winter Meetings even if the Phillies were to absorb some or all of his #20 million salary.
Phillies struggling to find a trade partner to move Nick Castellanos this offseason
Between expressing his unhappiness to the media about being a part of manager Rob Thomson's outfield rotation during the summer and finishing with similar offensive stats to his first year with the Phillies in 2022, the right fielder's trade value is low, to say the least.
The five-year, $100 million contract Philadelphia signed Castellanos to after a career-best season in 2021 with the Cincinnati Reds hasn't looked like a good decision by the front office.
Castellanos slashed .250/.294/.400, with a .694 OPS, 17 home runs, and 72 RBIs in 147 games this year. During the NLDS, the 33-year-old struggled, going 2-for-15 with three RBIs, two doubles, and a .133/.133/.267 slash line with a .400 OPS in four contests.
Castellanos recently spoke about the possibility of playing first base on MLB Network's Hot Stove.
The outfielder would welcome playing there in the future if needed. He mentioned that he played shortstop as an amateur. Earlier in his career, with the Detroit Tigers, he played third base. He debuted in right field during 2017 before switching to the position regularly the next season.
Tim Kelly of OnPattison notes that Castellanos' agency, Mato Sports Management, advised him to say he is open to a change defensively following a year in which he had -11 defensive runs saved and -12 outs above average in right field.
A trade may not transpire until spring training when a team needs a right-handed hitter or an outfielder/first baseman due to injuries. There are plenty of options available via trade or in free agency at the moment. Castellanos isn't expected to be with Philadelphia in 2026, but he may be on the roster longer than anticipated during the offseason.
If Dombrowski can't find a trade for the outfielder, they may end up releasing Castellanos. The Phillies would like to avoid doing that. However, if they and the outfielder want to move on, it may be the only choice to resolve the situation.