The Philadelphia Phillies have found themselves in another trade deadline situation, needing to address questions about the roster. The buzz has continued to come up for the Phillies and what they're looking for to attain their goals of postseason success. Those rumors have also included their right fielder Nick Castellanos.
The Castellanos rumors have come up like they have in previous seasons. Similar to how they surfaced before, the move would be to upgrade the right field position and hopefully the outfield overall. The move would also possibly relieve the Phillies of some money still on the books for 2025 and beyond.
MLB decision makers believe Phillies will consider trading Nick Castellanos
According to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, multiple MLB executives are of the belief that the Phillies could trade Castellanos (subscription required), if they're able to find a replacement for him in right field. It's also not out of the question that the Phillies could be looking to make some changes to the lineup, even with their veteran core. Castellanos has been one of the more polarizing outfielders in the game. His personality also allows him to express himself, per Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Castellanos hasn't been exactly the man the Phillies hoped he would be when they signed him to a noteworthy five-year, $100 million deal coming into the 2022 season. For the Reds in 2021, he posted a 138 OPS+, a career high. In his three-plus seasons in Philadelphia, he has posted only a 104 OPS+, and is batting .274 with a .759 OPS, 11 home runs and 49 RBIs through 89 games in 2025.
The right field position has been one that the Phillies have been careful with heavily due to the fact that Castellanos has played nearly every game since he signed his deal. He hasn't been the most impactful bat, but his durability has been an asset in keeping the outfield together. The tough part is, where does it become worth the money they signed him for? If they can find a cheaper and better option, the front office may feel inclined to make a move.
It's been said before, talk is just talk until something actually happens. The thoughts are absolutely there to possibly move Castellanos, but rumors don't dictate how the Phillies handle Castellanos going forward.
The need to upgrade the outfield has been a puzzle the team has been trying to solve for a while now. They currently rank 23rd among all MLB outfields, with a combined .696 OPS. If there is any truth to them moving on from Castellanos, Phillies fans can just hope it will be to make the outfield substantially better overall and leave less questions once they have to configure a postseason roster just a few months from now.