The Philadelphia Phillies have a decision to make on one of their most polarizing players this offseason.
In 2022, the Phillies inked outfielder Nick Castellanos to a five-year, $100 million contract, but in each of the past two seasons, his production has steadily declined. It is widely known that Philadelphia intends to trade the two-time All-Star as he enters the final season of his contract, but if trade talks stall this offseason, the team may still part ways with him.
When asked what the Phillies need to do to offload Castellanos in a deal this winter, MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki mentioned how the team may end up releasing him if they are unable to find a trade partner.
“They’ll probably need to eat almost all of his $20 million salary,” Zolecki wrote Saturday. “Maybe they’ll get lucky late in the offseason and a couple teams that got shut out for a right-handed-hitting corner outfielder will agree to pay some of his salary to take a flier that Castellanos bounces back from the worst year of his career. If the Phillies can’t do that, they’ll probably just release him before spring training.”
Castellanos is coming off one of the worst seasons of his career, slashing .250/.294/.400 while only hitting 17 home runs and driving in 72 runs. Though the 33-year-old outfielder struggled this season, he is still a durable veteran and two-time All-Star who could make an impact
The $20 million owed to Castellanos is likely the biggest hurdle preventing a trade from getting done, but if the Phillies want to receive anything in return for parting ways with him, they may need to eat some of his contract. Either way, don’t expect to see Castellanos on Philadelphia’s roster at the start of next season.
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