Ten days from now, Spring Training begins for the Philadelphia Phillies as pitchers and catchers report.
The first full squad workout will be just five days later. While the snow that has encased the Greater Philadelphia area is unlikely to melt in that time span, there is still one change in scenery that is likely to come within these next two weeks.
As of publication, Nick Castellanos remains on the Philadelphia Phillies’ roster. Despite a recently reaffirmed commitment from the beginning of the offseason by Dave Dombrowski to move the right fielder, Castellanos is still scheduled to arrive in Clearwater by February 16.
This is all coming after what was, by most standards, the worst full season of Castellanos’ career. 2025 saw Castellanos hit career lows in batting average, OBP, and OPS. His advanced metrics corroborate that story, showing career-worst at-bats against four-seam fastballs and sliders, two pitches of which he saw 47.3% of the time last season per Baseball Savant.
The resulting season led to his benching in favor of different options in right field, fracturing his relationship with manager Rob Thomson. Thomson, by most accounts, has been a beloved manager to his players. Recently in an interview with Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Whit Merrifield called Thomson “my favorite manager of all time.”
Between the drop in production, a rift with the manager, and Castellanos’s sub-par defense, the Phillies have been motivated all offseason to move Castellanos elsewhere.
The first hold-up is quite obvious: Castellanos’ 2025 season. Few teams would have interest in one of the statistically worst right fielders in baseball when his offense is regressing. His pedigree as a two-time All-Star and one-time Silver Slugger certainly helps his case, but Castellanos is entering his age-34 season. He is not in the traditional prime period of a ballplayer’s career anymore.
While a veteran on a down year could make for an interesting bargain deal for a team looking to get creative, Castellanos’ $20 million salary is the second strike preventing a deal from having been completed. Any team looking at Castellanos would be looking for a steal, not a significant investment.
Theoretically the Phillies could try floating Castellanos, who is reportedly willing to transition to first base, to a team if they are willing to eat some of Castellanos’ contract. But why would a team say yes to a trade like that when it is clear the Phillies are desperate to move on from him? Dombrowski has made public statements on multiple occasions that Castellanos will not play for the Phillies in 2026. So why would a team settle and make a trade for Castellanos when they can wait for the Phillies to cave and designate him for assignment? Then they can pick up Castellanos on a league minimum contract and call it a day.
Any leverage the team had to trade Castellanos evaporated the second Dombrowski addressed the elephant in the room.
With 10 days to go until the official start of Spring Training, the Phillies will need to make a choice as to whether to cut the cord. The Padres, Marlins, and Pirates have all been connected to Castellanos, and the Yankees are reportedly in search of a right-handed outfielder. If the Phillies want to make a deal with any of these teams, they will likely need to eat a significant percentage of the $20 million owed to Castellanos.
Whatever the outcome, the Phillies can’t afford to let a $20 million distraction walk into Clearwater. The only thing more costly than keeping Castellanos on the roster is pretending the relationship still works.
