The Philadelphia Phillies are entering the upcoming season with a roster largely unchanged from last year.
However, one notable exception remains: the team still intends to move on from Nick Castellanos before the new season begins. MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki reported on X that the situation hasn’t shifted, stating that the Phillies continue to look for a trade partner willing to cover even a small portion of Castellanos’ $20 million salary ahead of spring training.
Castellanos will turn 34 years old in March.
He’s coming off a season in which he batted .250 with 17 home runs.
He had a negative-0.8 Wins Above Replacement stat for the 2025 season.
Castellanos is a clear liability in right field, and if he’s only a DH at this point, his .694 OPS in 2025 won’t get the job done, either.
He was a slugger for the Detroit Tigers, then made stops with the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds, before coming to Philadelphia.
Initially with the Phillies, Castellanos’ bat was enough to make up for his other deficiencies.
But now he strikes out plenty, doesn’t walk much, and is a terrible defensive player.
Maybe he can still tap into his power in a new place, but it makes sense why the Phillies would like to move on.
It’s just a big salary for a player with not a ton of usefulness at this point in his career, so it’s not clear how this might end yet.
