Another day, another MLB Hot Stove rumor surrounding the Philadelphia Phillies. And this one would be a MAJOR shakeup to the teams’ core. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reports the Phillies COULD be open to trading OF Nick Castellanos during the offseason. That would be a major “wow” moment for the franchise if it were to come to fruition.
According to Feinsand and his source in the organization, the Phillies are open to the idea because of Castellanos’ streaky and uneven play. The hot and cold of Castellanos was evident in the 2023 MLB Postseason where the All-Star went 10-for-29 with five homers and six RBI through his first seven games, NLWC Game 1 through NLCS Game 1. Castellanos followed an awful 0-for-23 with 11 K, and one RBI in the following six games of the NLCS.
While it’s not fair to blame the Phillies failure on Castellanos, it was a total team meltdown, a bloop or a blast here or there likely would’ve been the difference.
Feinsand mentions free agents Teoscar Hernandez and Jorge Soler as low dollar replacements for Castellanos in the outfield. Both players are coming off of career power years and play a better than average outfield. It could also potentially open the door for Bryce Harper’s return to the outfield even though the plan is to play the former NL MVP at first base moving forward.
Castellanos will be entering year three of a 5-year/$100MM contract that he signed prior to the 2022 MLB regular season. The 32-year-old is owed an even $20MM for each remaining season according to Spotrac. Castellanos’ contract does not have any options and could be somewhat friendly should a team look to trade for the two-time All-Star.
