Multiple reports have indicated over the past few months that the Philadelphia Phillies are looking to move on from Nick Castellanos.
From what it sounds like, the Phillies are going to do whatever it takes to move on from the right-handed-hitting outfielder.
However, because Castellanos is due $20 million next season and has been one of the more average players in baseball over the past few years, teams might find it tough to justify giving him that type of money.
According to the latest from The Athletic’s Matt Gelb, the Phillies have decided to wait for Castellanos’ market to take shape. They’re hopeful that a small-market team looking to spend some money at the end of the offseason will be willing to trade for him.
“The payroll is always a factor, even if it keeps climbing on an annual basis for the Phillies. They have told other clubs they prefer to deal from their major-league roster, a stance that is about shuffling their familiar mix and financial concerns. They would love to reallocate some of their payroll commitments, a wish that might not be granted...
“It’s why they have held patient on jettisoning Nick Castellanos, who is owed $20 million in 2026. They hope some team pays down even a small portion of that salary; this might be a pipe dream. But the Phillies have decided it’s worth waiting out the market, especially with some smaller-revenue clubs expressing a newfound desire this offseason to spend money,” he wrote.
Castellanos said a few times that he wasn’t happy with how things had gone in Philadelphia.
In the Phillies’ defense, he’s posted a negative bWAR in two of his four seasons with the team.
He’s also coming off a campaign in which he posted just an 88 OPS+.
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