Nick Castellanos could be traded this offseason. (Madeline Ressler/Phillies Nation)
Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos is going back to keeping things simple. He has spent most of the offseason training at home in South Florida. He has been hitting for two weeks. A friend of his is challenging him to keep the same batting stance for a full season.
How is Castellanos handling an offseason of uncertainty?
“All I know is that this offseason, I know that I want to just kind of live as simple as possible,” Castellanos told Matt Vasgersian and Yonder Alonso on MLB Network’s Hot Stove on Friday morning. “Focus on training and being in a great spot, just so I’m physically ready for 162 next year. There’s a lot of stuff out of my control as far as the trade talks and everything. I’m just trying to focus on making sure today I get done what needs to get done. Whatever happens is going to happen.”
Castellanos, per multiple reports, is expected to be traded or released by the Phillies. He has one year and $20 million remaining on his contract. The Phillies will have to eat a significant portion of the remaining money in a potential trade.
Castellanos is aware of this. For now, it’s in his best interest to sell himself to potential suitors. Despite there being little to no talk about Castellanos moving positions with the Phillies after he settled in right field after Bryce Harper’s elbow injury in 2022, Castellanos was asked about a potential position change. First base, to be exact.
“It was brought up to me and honestly it’s something that I really welcome,” Castellanos said. “Amateur, I was a shortstop. I got drafted as a third baseman. I played my first 500 games over there. (Former Tigers GM Al Avila) came up to me when we traded for Jeimer Candelario and said, ‘Hey, listen, we’re trading for this kid who is going to have a bright future. We think you’re athletic enough to go to right field and give it a shot out there.’ So I said yes. At that time, I never played at first because we had (Miguel Cabrera) there. And nobody is taking his spot. So I went to the outfield.”
Some positional flexibility could help Castellanos. The team that carries Castellanos on its roster in 2026 is betting on a bounce back offensively, but many front offices prefer to not have one player clog up the designated hitter spot. He could still play the outfield, but Castellanos did not grade out well defensively in right field last season.
“Just as I get older and now outfielders are really graded on pure athleticism, how much ground they can cover, the spectacular play, like (Pete) Crow-Armstrong, I think that going to first base is something that I can do and would enjoy,” Castellanos said. “If a team or somebody needs me to do that because if there’s one thing I can say, I’m not bad in the outfield because I can’t catch the ball, you know. Nobody ever says I can’t catch a ball that I get to.”
The Phillies, at this point, are likely operating with the assumption that Castellanos won’t be on the roster. Top outfield prospect Justin Crawford will have a chance to break camp with the team. Brandon Marsh has two more years of team control. Gabriel Rincones Jr. was recently added to the 40-man roster. Otto Kemp and Weston Wilson could be right-handed platoon options. Johan Rojas is another option. Outside of that, the Phillies will need to add at least one more outfielder. They have previously expressed interest in re-signing center fielder Harrison Bader, although his market is reportedly strong.
The Phillies can go in many directions when it comes to filling out their outfield in 2026. One thing that’s clear is that the plan likely won’t involve Castellanos.
