Nick Castellanos

MLBTR Podcast: The Phillies’ Outfield, Tarik Skubal, And Hiring College Coaches

By Darragh McDonald | October 22, 2025 at 9:00am CDT

The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

The Blue Jays making it to the World Series and how being a baseball writer can dull your fandom (1:20)
The Phillies reportedly planning to move on from Nick Castellanos (7:10)
The Tigers making an uninspiring extension offer to Tarik Skubal a year ago (15:30)
The Giants potentially hiring Tony Vitello to be their new manager (27:50)
The Brewers reportedly willing to listen to offers on Freddy Peralta (35:20)

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

What positions do the Astros need to target to make it back to the postseason? (41:55)
Do the Brewers need to change their contact-over-power approach? (45:20)
Will Kyle Tucker’s injuries significantly impact his payday? (47:10)
Should the Padres try to sign J.T. Realmuto or stick with Freddy Fermin and Luis Campusano? (49:50)

Check out our past episodes!

Murakami To Be Posted This Offseason, Managerial Vacancies, And More! – listen here
Rockies’ Front Office Changes, Skip Schumaker, And ABS Talk – listen here
Mike Elias On The State Of The Orioles – listen here

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images

Poll: Where Will Nick Castellanos Play Next Year?

By Nick Deeds | October 17, 2025 at 1:10pm CDT

It appears the Nick Castellanos era in Philadelphia is coming to a close. Reporting yesterday indicated that the Phillies plan to either trade or release Castellanos this winter, ahead of the final season of his five-year contract with the club, following a year where he clashed with club manager Rob Thomson and struggled to produce at the plate or in the field. It remains to be seen whether Castellanos will be traded or released to sign somewhere else on the league minimum, but either way, it seems likely at this point that his next MLB game will come in a different uniform. Which team fits him best? A look at some of the most intriguing landing spots:

Cleveland Guardians

The Guardians are perhaps the most straightforward fit for Castellanos available. They’ve already made clear they hope to upgrade their outfield mix. As a club without much money to spend most years, the fact that Castellanos could be had for a fraction of his salary (or perhaps even the league minimum) has to be enticing. Lackluster as Castellanos’s production was this year, he could be a good fit for a club that produced a wRC+ of just 70 from right field this year between players like Nolan Jones and Jhonkensy Noel. Castellanos perhaps fits best as a DH given his poor defensive abilities, but that opportunity could be available to him as well with Kyle Manzardo likely to take over first base duties after being blocked by Josh Naylor and Carlos Santana in previous years.

Kansas City Royals

Sticking in the AL Central, Castellanos would be an interesting fit for the Royals as well. Kansas City has struggled to find any sort of production in the outfield for years now. This past year, they got a 69 wRC+ (30th in MLB) from right field with a 75 wRC+ (29th in MLB) from left field. Castellanos would surely provide a major upgrade to either of those spots and is capable of playing every day if needed, which would be a step in the right direction for a team that has too often needed to platoon all around the roster recently. One major flaw with Castellanos’s fit in Kansas City, however, is the presence of Salvador Perez. Perez is expected to remain with the Royals next year, whether via club option or a fresh deal, and started 66 games at either DH or first base this year. Any first base starts would push Vinnie Pasquantino to DH, meaning that Castellanos would have to play the field frequently to be a fit for Kansas City’s roster.

San Diego Padres

The Padres might seem like an odd fit for Castellanos’s services at first glance, but San Diego has frequently had to get creative with some of its additions in recent years to balance its budget while filling holes in the roster. That figures to be true once again this winter, with both Dylan Cease and Michael King leaving major holes in the rotation as they head into free agency. Starting pitching figures to be the focus for the Padres this winter, which leaves the club to replace Luis Arraez and Ryan O’Hearn in the lineup at DH on what might be a shoestring budget.

Enter Castellanos, who won’t cost much but could capably handle regular duties at DH while also potentially spelling Fernando Tatis Jr. and Ramon Laureano in the outfield corners. San Diego hasn’t been afraid to take risks on players in need of a rebound in the past. While not all of those shots have landed, they have found success with some, such as Gavin Sheets. If there’s a flaw with Castellanos’s fit in San Diego, it’s perhaps that Sheets played just 13 games at first base this year and the club might view him as their DH headed into the offseason.

Other Options

These teams aren’t the only ones for whom Castellanos would make sense, though they are perhaps the best fits. The Cubs are about to lose Kyle Tucker to free agency but they could slide Seiya Suzuki into the outfield more often, opening the DH spot for Moises Ballesteros. Guys like Owen Caissie and Kevin Alcantara are also around to bolster the outfield mix and are probably better than Castellanos at this point anyway. The Diamondbacks could use Castellanos as a right-handed complement to their heavily left-handed outfield and DH mix, but he might be able to do better than a pure bench role and Blaze Alexander might be better suited for that job anyway. Perhaps the Rangers could sign Castellanos to share time with Joc Pederson at DH and back up lefty outfielders like Evan Carter and Alejandro Osuna if they end up non-tendering Adolis Garcia, though even if that happens they might still prefer to try to reunite with him at a lower price point, given his superior defense. The Pirates got very little production from their offense last year but would be a better fit if Andrew McCutchen departs the club. The Giants got minimal production from right field this year but Rafael Devers is likely to be their everyday DH next year.

Where do MLBTR readers think Castellanos would fit best in 2026? Have your say in the poll below:

Phillies Expected To Trade Or Release Nick Castellanos

By Anthony Franco | October 16, 2025 at 11:10pm CDT

The Phillies are likely to trade or release Nick Castellanos this offseason, reports Matt Gelb of The Athletic. The veteran outfielder is owed $20MM for the final season of a five-year, $100MM free agent deal.

It has been apparent for the past few months that Castellanos’ time with the organization would probably come to an end this winter. He hasn’t performed up to expectations for most of his time in Philly. He’s coming off a career-worst .250/.294/.400 batting line and lost playing time in the second half.

Castellanos has also had a couple public spats with manager Rob Thomson. The skipper benched Castellanos for a game in June after the player made what Thomson considered “an inappropriate comment” when being lifted for a defensive replacement (ESPN link). Late in the season, Castellanos publicly criticized Thomson for what he called “questionable” communication on players’ roles.

The Phillies have not announced any decisions. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski was asked about the situation at this morning’s end-of-season press conference. “I don’t know. I’m not going to get into specific players that are on our roster under contract. The [incidents] that you talked about are accurate, but we’ll see what happens,” he replied (link via Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer).

Obviously, the Phillies would prefer to find a trade partner than to simply release Castellanos. That won’t be easy. Other teams will be aware of the soured relationship. Even if things hadn’t gone south off the field, he’s coming off a season in which both FanGraphs and Baseball Reference felt he was below replacement level. Castellanos ranked among the bottom 20 hitters (minimum 500 plate appearances) in on-base percentage. He tied with Jo Adell and Juan Soto for an MLB-worst 12 outs below average among outfielders. He probably would have been a primary designated hitter if he weren’t teammates with Kyle Schwarber.

Castellanos did connect on 17 homers while driving in 72 runs. He’d topped 20 homers in each of the previous two seasons. He has not gone on the injured list in three seasons and has hit .282/.329/.463 against left-handed pitching over the past four years. He’d still be an offensive upgrade for some teams as a part-time outfielder/DH.

Teams aren’t going to assume a notable portion of a $20MM salary for that kind of role. The Phils will hope to find a club willing to take $3-5MM off their hands for a nominal return. Failing that, it seems they’d simply eat the contract and release him. Castellanos could then sign anywhere for the league minimum with the Phillies on the hook for the rest of the money. The Guardians, Royals, Rangers and Padres are among the teams that need more production out of the outfield and/or designated hitter.

Moving on from Castellanos will be one of multiple changes to the Phils’ outfield. Harrison Bader and Max Kepler are headed to free agency. (Bader will decline his end of a mutual option and sign a multi-year deal.) That leaves Brandon Marsh as the only returning regular. Kepler had a poor season after signing a $10MM free agent deal. Dombrowski acknowledged that he’s unlikely to be re-signed.

The Phils will presumably make an effort to bring Bader back, but they’re also facing the impending free agencies of Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto and Ranger Suárez. While Dombrowski said the Phillies have interest in re-signing each of those players individually, he called it “probably impractical” to get all four of them done. Schwarber and Realmuto feel like the bigger priorities.

That points to a potential Opening Day roster spot for former first-round pick Justin Crawford. The Phillies were mulling a midseason call-up for the 21-year-old outfielder. Crawford probably would’ve debuted had they not managed to acquire Bader from Minnesota at the deadline. He instead spent the season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he hit .334/.411/.452 and stole 46 bases in 112 games.

Crawford remains a somewhat divisive prospect. He has excellent bat-to-ball skills, but his power is limited by a swing designed to hit the ball on the ground. While he has the pure speed for center field, his arm and defensive routes lead many evaluators to project him as a left fielder. That could push Marsh back to center field, perhaps in another platoon with righty-swinging Johan Rojas.

Nick Castellanos Criticizes “Questionable” Communication With Rob Thomson

By Mark Polishuk | September 20, 2025 at 10:24am CDT

Nick Castellanos has gone from being the Phillies’ everyday right fielder into a platoon with Max Kepler, in a reflection of how both players have delivered underwhelming numbers in 2025. The change has been a little more jarring for Castellanos given his longer history with the team and longer track record as a lineup regular, and it is clear that the veteran isn’t pleased with how things have played out.

Speaking with the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Scott Lauber and other media after yesterday’s 8-2 win over the Diamondbacks, Castellanos stressed that he is “here to do whatever I can to make sure that Philadelphia wins a World Series ring,” and that any talk that he is unhappy “would be creating a narrative.” However, he also indicated some hard feelings towards manager Rob Thomson, rhetorically asking “who says that?” when a reporter noted that Thomson has been praised for his directness by several players.

“Communication over the years has been questionable, at least in my experience…. There’s just been times where things have been said, and then, over the course of years, I’ll have expectations because I’ll latch on to what’s being said and then actions would be different,” Castellanos said. “And then I’m kind of left just thinking and whatnot. But again, like it is what it is. Adapt, do what I can. At the end of the day we’re here to win a World Series.”

While Castellanos’ comments indicate a longer-lasting issue, the relationship between player and manager drew public attention on June 17, when Castellanos was benched for the Phillies’ 8-3 loss to the Marlins. The previous night, Thomson said Castellanos made an “inappropriate” comment after being removed from the game for defensive purposes, and the outfielder was sat out a game as punishment. Missing that June 17 contest snapped a personal streak of 236 consecutive games played for Castellanos.

As to how the two are communicating lately, Castellanos (perhaps tellingly) referenced playing time, saying “I don’t really talk to Rob all that often. I play whenever he tells me to play, and then sit whenever he tells me to sit.”

Disputes between players and managers are as old as baseball itself, so while Castellanos’ candor about the situation is newsworthy, it may not create any short-term issues within the Phillies’ clubhouse. Despite Castellanos’ displeasure, the numbers also suggest that the platoon is working — since the start of September, Kepler is hitting .263/.373/.500 over 51 plate appearances, and Castellanos is batting .323/.353/.548 in 34 PA.

Even with this recent hot streak, Castellanos has still managed only a 94 wRC+, and an overall slash line of .255/.299/.411 (with 17 homers) over 566 PA. Between his subpar offense and lackluster defense, Castellanos has been worth -0.4 fWAR this season — the second time in his four years in Philadelphia that the veteran has posted a sub-replacement performance.

All in all, Castellanos has generated 1.0 fWAR and an exactly average 100 wRC+ over his four seasons with the Phillies. It wasn’t what the team expected when signing the slugger to a five-year, $100MM free agent deal, and the final $20MM of that contract is still owed to Castellanos for the 2026 season. While that isn’t an insignificant sum for a team to just eat, it is fair to wonder if the Phillies might consider simply releasing Castellanos this winter, unless a trade can be worked out that would still very likely require the Phils to cover the bulk of the remaining salary.

For now, Castellanos is simply focused on the playoffs, and refused to consider his future with the Phillies. “Why would I do that in front of what we have ahead of us? That would be really selfish and take away from what we’re trying to do as a group….I’m here to win. [Owner] John Middleton is paying me money so that I can help the Philadelphia Phillies win a World Series,” he said.

Nick Castellanos Losing Playing Time In Phillies’ Outfield

By Anthony Franco | September 5, 2025 at 9:12pm CDT

The Phillies started Max Kepler in right field tonight against Marlins righty Valente Bellozo. That left Nick Castellanos on the bench for the third time in the past four games, all of which came with a right-hander on the mound.

Manager Rob Thomson said Thursday that Kepler would pick up increased playing time against righties (link via Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic). “At this point in the year, I’m going to put out what I think is the best lineup on any given day to win a ballgame,” Thomson said. “There’s still a bit of a rotation, if you want to call it that. If you want to call it a platoon, doesn’t matter to me.”

That won’t leave much playing time for the righty-hitting Castellanos. That’s less about handedness and more a reflection of his numbers in the second half. Castellanos carries a .199/.253/.309 batting line since the All-Star Break. He had a sub-.600 OPS in both July and August. Kepler’s season numbers are poor, but he’s been the much better hitter in recent weeks. The lefty batter owns a .267/.318/.483 slash with a dramatically reduced 12.1% strikeout rate since the beginning of August. That doesn’t include tonight’s performance, in which he chipped in another two knocks and a home run.

The Phils haven’t wanted to give Kepler playing time against left-handed pitching all season. He’s hitting .196/.258/.304 without the platoon advantage. Castellanos will continue to get at-bats against southpaws. The outfield against righty pitching will run Brandon Marsh, Harrison Bader and Kepler from left to right. Castellanos obviously isn’t going to take more than a scattered start at DH or first base from Kyle Schwarber or Bryce Harper. He’ll be relegated to a short-side platoon role barring an injury.

Castellanos is in the fourth season of a five-year deal that pays him $20MM annually. The Phils signed Castellanos and Schwarber within days of one another coming out of the 2022 lockout. The Schwarber contract has been one of the best free agent pickups in recent memory. The Castellanos addition hasn’t worked out nearly as well. He’s been exceptionally durable and racked up counting stats (including a 29-homer season with 106 RBI in 2023). His rate metrics at the plate have been essentially league average, though, and he’s one of the league’s worst defensive outfielders. FanGraphs and Baseball Reference have each valued Castellanos around a cumulative one win above replacement over the past four seasons.

Schwarber, Bader and Kepler are each impending free agents. The Phils could turn left field to former first-round pick Justin Crawford in 2026. It’s tough to imagine they’ll roll with Castellanos as an everyday right fielder next season. They’re going to make an effort to bring Schwarber back at designated hitter. It stands to reason they’ll try to find a trade partner willing to assume a small portion of Castellanos’ salary, but his second-half numbers could leave them weighing an offseason release if they don’t find a taker.

Phillies Rumors: Crawford, Castellanos, Suárez

By Leo Morgenstern | November 22, 2024 at 5:15pm CDT

If the Phillies are looking for improvements on the trade market this offseason, outfielder Justin Crawford could be one of their most valuable trade chips. The 20-year-old is widely considered one of the top five prospects in the organization, and he’s coming off a strong season in which he hit .313 with 42 stolen bases and a 130 wRC+ between High-A Jersey Shore and Double-A Reading. To that point, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports that the Phillies could indeed be persuaded to part with Crawford, although he implies they aren’t actively shopping the center fielder. In Gelb’s words, Philadelphia has “not excluded Crawford from trade talks” but would only be willing to trade him “for a big-league player with multiple years of club control.”

None of that is necessarily surprising. The Phillies aren’t facing any pressure to trade Crawford, and it’s possible (though unlikely) he could contribute to the big league team as early as this coming season. That being said, if top pitching prospect Andrew Painter and top position player prospect Aidan Miller are all but untouchable (which seems to be the case), the Phillies would almost certainly have to include Crawford in a trade for an impactful major leaguer with more than one year of team control. Philadelphia has not yet been formally linked to any trade candidates this offseason, but the first name that comes to mind as a potential target is White Sox ace Garrett Crochet. The Phillies were interested in Crochet at the trade deadline but balked when the White Sox demanded Painter as part of the return package. If Philadelphia is still unwilling to trade Painter, it’s hard to imagine they could land Crochet without including Crawford in the deal.

Gelb also mentioned that the Phillies are at least casually looking to trade Nick Castellanos this winter. Although it would be quite surprising if such a trade materialized, it’s not hard to see why the Phillies would make him available. Even by the most charitable of metrics, Castellanos has been a disappointment on the five-year, $100MM contract he signed prior to the 2022 season. With a 105 wRC+ in 2024, he was barely better than league average at the plate while offering no additional value with his glove or his legs. Yet, for those exact reasons, the Phillies will have a tough time trading him unless they eat the vast majority of the $40MM remaining on his contract for 2025 and ’26. Castellanos still offers value as a durable, contact-oriented hitter with good splits against left-handed pitching, not to mention as a well-liked presence in the clubhouse and within the fanbase. In other words, there’s little reason the Phillies should want to pay him to play for another team without getting anything meaningful back in return.

If the Phillies are planning to shake up their major league roster, a couple of more realistic trade candidates include third baseman Alec Bohm and left-handed starting pitcher Ranger Suárez. Gelb reports that Philadelphia has tried to “gauge other clubs’ interest” in both players. Bohm has been one of the more talked-about trade candidates of the offseason so far, but the fact that the Phillies are actively shopping Suárez, even if just to get a sense of his market, is newer information.

President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has repeatedly discussed a need to be “open-minded” this winter, telling reporters, including Todd Zolecki of MLB.com, that the Phillies might need to “trade good players for good players.” Naturally, that has led to no shortage of speculation about the “good players” to whom Dombrowski could be referring. Bohm, Suárez, second baseman Bryson Stott, and outfielder Brandon Marsh all seem like plausible trade candidates. Until today, however, Bohm was the only one whose name had come up in any credible trade rumors.

Suárez’s trade value is slightly complicated. On the one hand, he’s coming off what was almost certainly the best season of his career. Over 27 starts, the southpaw threw 150 2/3 innings with a 3.46 ERA and 3.61 SIERA, making the NL All-Star team and setting a new career high with 3.5 FanGraphs WAR. On the other hand, he spent time on the injured list for the third year in a row and didn’t look nearly as sharp upon his return. He put up a 5.74 ERA and 4.37 SIERA in his final seven regular season starts.

Therefore, it makes sense that the Phillies are trying to figure out how other teams might value his arm in a trade. Dombrowski has no good reason to sell low on Suárez. However, if he gets a strong enough offer, it’s not as if he doesn’t have ways to replace Suárez in the rotation. The aforementioned possibility of trading for Crochet is one route the Phillies could take. In addition, Painter is likely to pitch meaningful innings out of the rotation at some point in 2025. Moreover, while the Phillies have not yet been linked to any of the top starting pitchers on the free agent market, that would surely change if Suárez were out of the picture.

In a bit of additional Phillies news, the team has hired Blake Crosby to fll the role of assistant director, international scouting. He was formerly a special assignment scout for the Pirates.

Rays’ Edwin Uceta Suspended Two Games

By Steve Adams | September 11, 2024 at 4:36pm CDT

4:36pm: The suspension was reduced to two games, reports Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 (X link). Uceta also received an undisclosed fine.

3:56pm: Uceta will not appeal the decision, Cash tells Topkin. The right-hander’s three-game suspension will begin tonight.

2:55pm: Major League Baseball announced this afternoon that Rays righty Edwin Uceta has received a three-game suspension and an undisclosed fine for throwing at Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos in last night’s game. Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash has received a one-game suspension. Uceta can appeal if he chooses and would still be eligible to take the field while the appeal process plays out. Cash is serving his suspension tonight, per the league’s announcement. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times first reported the details surrounding the suspensions.

Uceta entered last night’s game in the eighth inning with two men on base and one out in what was then a 4-4 tie. He promptly yielded a two-run double to outfielder Cal Stevenson, struck out catcher Garrett Stubbs, allowed an RBI single to infielder Buddy Kennedy and then served up a two-run homer to Trea Turner. Bryce Harper followed with a double. Uceta then hit Castellanos on the hip with a 96.2 mph sinker on the first pitch of the next plate appearance, prompting both benches to clear (video link). Castellanos and Harper, in particular, were animated with their anger and what they clearly believed to be intent behind the pitch.

Castellanos said after the game that he had “an overwhelming sense that I was about to get drilled,” before even stepping into the batter’s box (link via Todd Zolecki of MLB.com). Harper was also vocal in the aftermath, stating that throwing at a player with intent “is not something that you should accept as Major League Baseball” — particularly in an era where today’s pitchers can throw so hard. “We’re in a race right now,” Harper continued. “We’re doing our thing. We’re trying to get into the postseason. A guy wants to drill him. It’s not right.”

Uceta, naturally, maintained while speaking through an interpreter that he did not intend to plunk Castellanos — the first batter he’s hit all season in 36 1/3 innings (138 batters faced) and just the third batter he’s hit in his MLB career (314 plate appearances).

Even with that dismal outing, Uceta’s ERA on the season stands at 1.49. He’s quietly emerged as an important bullpen piece for Tampa Bay since signing a minor league deal in the winter and having his contract selected to the big league roster back in May. Part of Uceta’s success this season has been impeccable command. He’s walked just 4.3% of the opponents he’s faced (against a massive 37% strikeout rate).

That alone doesn’t signal intent, of course; it was a pressure-filled situation wherein Uceta had missed spots badly on both the double to Stevenson and the home run to Turner. He’s also struggled with command in the past, entering the season with a career 11.9% walk rate. It’s certainly feasible that he was rattled by the moment in an outing where he’d already lacked command, but it’s simultaneously understandable that the Phillies took exception and believed there to be intent.

Regardless, Cash will be absent from tonight’s dugout, and Uceta could miss up to three games. Castellanos thankfully didn’t sustain any type of injury on the play. He remained in the game and is back in tonight’s lineup. Leadoff slugger Kyle Schwarber, who tweaked his elbow on a dive back into first base last night and was set for further evaluation today, was originally in the lineup but was scratched just minutes ago after informing the team of lingering soreness in his elbow (X link via Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer). Harper will serve as the designated hitter tonight, and Kody Clemens will get the nod at first base.

Phillies Notes: Nola, Castellanos, Front Office

By Nick Deeds | November 11, 2023 at 10:33pm CDT

As right-hander Aaron Nola hits free agency for the first time in his career, there have been indications of mutual interest in a reunion with the Phillies, as both Nola and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski have spoken publicly about a desire to continue the relationship into 2024 and beyond. MLB Network’s Jon Morosi cautions, however, that the sides are not “at all close on a reunion.” While Morosi acknowledges the “strong” relationship between Nola and the Phillies, he suggests that due to the number of teams in the market for pitching help this season, there’s a “better than 50/50” chance that Nola is able to find a better offer outside of Philadelphia.

That Nola’s camp wouldn’t look to get together on a deal with the Phillies this early in the offseason is hardly surprising. After all, the sides were unable to agree on an extension prior to the 2023 campaign, and with Nola now a free agent he figures to be one of the most attractive rotation arms on the open market this offseason to teams in need of pitching. He ranked fifth overall in MLBTR’s Top 50 free agents list this offseason, behind only NPB superstar Yoshinobu Yamamoto and left-hander Blake Snell among this offseason’s starting pitching market. That being said, there’s still reason for optimism regarding a reunion between the sides, as Morosi suggests that Nola could give the Phillies the opportunity to match if he receives a better offer elsewhere.

Of course, Nola is far from the only quality starter on the market, meaning the Phillies will have plenty of alternatives available should he depart for another club this winter. In addition to Yamamoto and Snell, left-handers Jordan Montgomery and Shota Imanaga figure to be among the upper-tier rotation arms available this offseason. Veteran right-hander Sonny Gray is also available this offseason and has already been connected to the Phillies, while Brewers ace Corbin Burnes and Rays righty Tyler Glasnow are among the front-of-the-rotation caliber arms who could potentially be available in trade this offseason.

More from the Phillies…

ESPN’s Buster Olney reported earlier today that Philadelphia has “no intention” of trading outfielder Nick Castellanos this offseason. While previous reporting had indicated that the club could be open to moving Castellanos, MLBTR’s Steve Adams discussed the pitfalls in such a strategy yesterday. Given the likelihood that Philadelphia would likely have to attach a prospect or eat significant salary to move the remaining three seasons on Castellanos’s deal, it’s hardly a surprise that the club doesn’t expect to deal the two-time All Star ahead of his age-32 campaign. With Kyle Schwarber set to be the club’s regular DH and Bryce Harper poised to remain at first base long term, Castellanos figures to remain entrenched as the club’s everyday right fielder, with Brandon Marsh in left and Johan Rojas in center barring any additions to the club’s outfield mix.
The Phillies recently announced a series of promotions in their front office, headlined by Brian Barber being promoted to the role of assistant GM, amateur scouting and Preston Mattingly being promoted to the role of assistant GM, player development. Barber has overseen the club’s amateur drafts since joining the club following the 2019 season. Mattingly, the son of longtime player and manager Don Mattingly, joined the Phillies as director of player development at the end of the 2021 season after five years as a member of the Padres’ scouting department.

The Problem(s) With Trading Nick Castellanos

By Steve Adams | November 10, 2023 at 11:59pm CDT

Phillies slugger Nick Castellanos has seen his name pop up on the rumor mill this week, with Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reporting that the team is “open” to moving him in a potential trade. There’s no indication any deal is close at this time.

Frankly, it’s only natural that the Phillies would be open to moving Castellanos. He’s entering the third season of a five-year, $100MM contract and has not played up to expectations to this point. Castellanos’ 2023 campaign (.272/.311/.476, 29 homers) was far better than his 2022 season (.263/.305/.389, 13 home runs), but it still wasn’t anywhere close to the standout production he turned in with the Reds during his final season in Cincinnati (.309/.362/.576, 34 homers).

Castellanos has never graded as even an average defender in the outfield, and his two seasons in Philadelphia haven’t changed that. He’s played just over 2300 innings in right field with the Phils and been dinged for -17 Defensive Runs Saved. Ultimate Zone Rating pegs him at -20.2, and Statcast has him at 19 outs below average. The huge offensive output that Castellanos produced in 2018, 2019 and 2021 more than offset his shaky glovework, but he was below average at the plate with the Phils in 2022 and only about nine percent better than average at the plate in 2023 (by measure of wRC+, which weights for home park and league run-scoring environment).

As with any free-agent signing, the Phillies were surely most interested in the first few years of the long-term deal to which they inked Castellanos. He’s played out his age-30 and age-31 seasons in red pinstripes and is now heading into his age-32 campaign. As he moves into his mid-30s, it stands to reason that Castellanos’ defense will only slip further. His average sprint speed (as measured by Statcast) dipped from 27.7 feet per second in 2022 to 27.2 in 2023. That checks into the 46th percentile of MLB players, and his arm strength (83.5 mph average on his throws) tied for 142nd out of 152 qualified outfielders.

There are also some red flags in his offensive profile; Castellanos has seen his exit velocity and barrel rates drop in Philadelphia, while this past season’s 27.6% strikeout rate was the worst of his career in a full 162-game season. He’s never walked at an especially high clip, but his patience is also on the decline. Castellanos drew a free pass in 7.3% of his plate appearances during his final two seasons with the Reds. That’s dropped to 5.3% in two seasons with the Phillies. Meanwhile, he’s chasing pitches off the plate more than ever before (43.1% with the Phils; 37.1% in his career prior). As a result, his contact rate has plummeted. This past season’s 66.6% contact rate is nearly five percentage points south of his career 71.5% mark.

There’s virtually no way the Phillies would be able to move the entirety of Castellanos’ contract and receive something of value in return. Even just getting someone to take on the entire contract in a straight salary dump might not be feasible.

That said, it’s a woeful crop of free agent bats, and Castellanos still popped 29 homers with an above-average batting line. A club with more playing time at designated hitter could have some interest in swapping out an underwater contract of its own that better fits the Phillies’ roster. The Phils could also pay down some of Castellanos’ contract, but they’d likely need to include a substantial amount of cash in order to make it a palatable deal for a trade partner — let alone to acquire meaningful players in return.

The free-agent market, for instance, features right-handed bats of generally similar skill set in the form of Teoscar Hernandez, Jorge Soler, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Hunter Renfroe. Hernandez is a year younger than Castellanos. Gurriel is two years younger. Taking on Castellanos at $60MM for his age-32 through age-34 seasons when there are younger and/or less expensive comparables on the free-agent market isn’t likely to hold widespread appeal throughout the league. Soler, in particular, is coming off a stronger season at the plate but might not even cost as much as the remaining sum on Castellanos’ contract.

Given the overall lack of quality bats on the market, it’s possible there’ll be some interest in acquiring Castellanos at a lower price than what’s left on his five-year deal. That the Phillies are “open” to trading him should come as no surprise. Actually finding a way to facilitate a deal would be another story.

NL East Notes: Castellanos, Marlins, Nationals

By Mark Polishuk | October 5, 2023 at 8:43pm CDT

Miami native Nick Castellanos was heavily linked to the Marlins when he was a free agent during the 2021-22 offseason, and Castellanos told The Athletic’s Matt Gelb earlier this week that he very nearly agreed to join the team before the lockout halted winter business in early December 2021. “If I wasn’t advised to be patient and wait until after the lockout to sign, I would have been over there,” Castellanos said. Instead, the Marlins’ plans changed during the freeze, with some reports tying Derek Jeter’s departure as club CEO to ownership’s decision to not expand the payroll quite so much once the lockout was settled. That meant Castellanos was now without his top suitor, until he signed with the Phillies for a five-year, $100MM deal.

Castellanos admitted that it took a while to get over the disappointment of not playing in his hometown, a “dream” scenario that would’ve allowed Castellanos to be near his son Liam at all times, and play for one of his baseball heroes in Jeter. This feeling may have contributed to Castellanos’ lackluster numbers for much of the 2022 season, but the Phillies’ run to the World Series reinvigorated him and the outfielder delivered a more productive season this year. “I can never sit and say I am unfortunate because I’m blessed and I get to play here,” he said. “I get to play for a great organization. I get to play with one of the most intense fan bases in the sports world. I have so much gratitude for all of that.”

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