Report: Phillies, Nick Castellanos relationship continues to decline in free agency

Toran Flores

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Report: Phillies, Nick Castellanos relationship continues to decline in free agency image

It doesn't look too good for Nick Castellanos while the Philadelphia Phillies add more depth at outfield in free agency.

Philadelphia signed former Texas Rangers outfielder Adolis Garcia to a one-year, $10 million deal in free agency. The intent in the signing is to have Garcia and Brandon Marsh in the corners, while Justin Crawford will take over centerfield duties.

This makes Nick Castellanos the odd man out. The 33-year-old has slowly worked his way out of the lineup through the second half of the 2025 season and free agency, and it looks like the Phillies are trying to move the outfielder despite having $20 million linked to his name for next season.

Why are the Phillies going away from Nick Castellanos?

Philadelphia Phillies president Dave Dombrowski has made it clear that the plan is to move on from Nick Castellanos, but the problem will be finding a suitor that's willing to pay the $20 million that's remaining on his contract

Not just this, but his unreliable play on defense has shone bright. This will lead to the trade process taking time.

Evan Macy of PhillyVoice wrote that Phillies insider Todd Zolecki has been looking around for anyone interested in Castellanos.

"I couldn't find anybody, I've heard people say, 'I'm not interested at any price in Nick Castellanos.' They mention the defense is a big reason why."

Although Castellanos put together a 2025 season where he hit.250/.294/.400 while adding 17 home runs and 72 RBI, the 33-year-old was ranked fifth-worst in fielding run value (-12) among outfielders this season, according to Savant.

It's also worth mentioning that Castellanos' relationship with manager Rob Thomson has gotten worse.

Reports show that if Philadelphia can find a trade suitor for Castellanos, it will be at the end of the offseason. This is when other outfielding prospects will be off the board, and his reliability on offense will be emphasized.

Until anything happens, the Phillies might have to swallow the $20 million Castellanos is owed in 2026.

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Staff Writer