Nick Castellanos may not have had his best season with the Philadelphia Phillies, ranking as the team’s ninth-best hitter with a .250 average, but he was the third-most productive player in RBIs after Bryce Harper. However, even that production may not save him from a potential trade, according to a report by Matt Gelb.
In a recent article for The Athletic, Gelb revealed that Castellanos is not expected to be one of the players who returns for the next season. Gelb wrote that “the Phillies are expected to either trade or release the veteran outfielder, club sources have said.” Conversely, the Phillies are reportedly expected to retain Harrison Bader.
Making the situation worse, Dave Dombrowski reportedly avoided the topic of Castellanos entirely. Gelb, who attended the recent press conference, wrote that “When asked about Castellanos, Dombrowski said he could not comment on ‘specific players that are on our roster under contract,’ then spent the next 34 minutes doing just that [commenting on other players].”
What exactly would the Phillies lose if Nick Castellanos were to depart the team?
They would be shedding a veteran who has been with the club since 2022. While his overall numbers aren’t top-tier, Castellanos has served as a reliable outfielder who has been known to deliver in clutch moments for the Phillies. His best season in Philadelphia came in 2023, when he posted a .272 batting average.
Castellanos still holds out some hope that the Phillies’ front office will retain him. With one year and $20 million remaining on his contract, the organization may elect to keep him if they can’t find a sufficiently favorable trade partner.
Castellanos’ outlook is further clouded by the competition from Harrison Bader. Bader’s immediate popularity and preference for playing time in the outfield have severely limited Castellanos’ prospects of remaining a fixture on the club’s roster.