According to The Athletic’s Matt Gelb, the Philadelphia Phillies plan to part ways with outfielder Nick Castellanos this offseason. Gelb reports that the team will release Castellanos if a trade partner cannot be found. The veteran slugger is entering the final year of his five-year, $100 million contract, and has been viewed as a trade candidate in each of the past two offseasons.
At the 2025 trade deadline, reports already suggested the Phillies were open to dealing Castellanos, and this offseason appears to be the moment that separation finally happens. Gelb also noted that the organization aims to “redo their outfield” this winter, with top prospect Justin Crawford expected to play a key role in the team’s future plans and potentially become part of the Phillies’ new-look outfield by 2026.
Financial Obstacles Complicating a Trade
If Philadelphia hopes to trade Castellanos, the front office will likely need to absorb a significant portion of his remaining salary, which sits at $20 million for the 2026 season. Finding a team willing to take on even part of that contract could prove challenging.
As Gelb explains, releasing Castellanos may be the more practical path. Doing so would free him to sign elsewhere on a more affordable deal, though the Phillies would still be responsible for the full amount owed. The team would prefer, however, to strike a deal that transfers some of the financial burden to another club.
Reduced Playing Time in 2025
Castellanos’ role diminished throughout the 2025 season, largely due to inconsistent performance and the midseason arrival of Harrison Bader, who quickly took over as the Phillies’ everyday center fielder.
In 147 games, Castellanos posted a .250/.294/.400 slash line with 17 home runs and 72 RBI, along with a 90 wRC+ and a .298 BABIP. His 22.6% strikeout rate and 5.4% walk rate both worsened compared to 2024. His struggles were most pronounced in August, when he slumped to a .180/.240/.270 line with only two home runs and three RBI over 24 games — his worst month statistically, producing just a 41 wRC+.
Overall Tenure in Philadelphia
Since joining the Phillies, Castellanos has fallen short of expectations as the reliable middle-of-the-order bat the team envisioned to complement Bryce Harper. Across four seasons, he has failed to record a wRC+ of 110 or higher and has produced only one campaign above 1.0 fWAR — a 1.3 mark in 2023.
Offensively, his lone Phillies season with an OPS above .750 came in 2023 (.788), while his plate discipline has remained an issue, never posting a walk rate above 10% or a strikeout rate below 20%.
Defensively, Castellanos has struggled significantly, ranking near the bottom among qualified outfielders with -41 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), -35 Outs Above Average (OAA), and -45 Fielding Run Value (FRV) during his tenure.
With those metrics and performance trends, the writing appears to be on the wall — for both Castellanos and the Phillies, a change has become inevitable.