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Nick Castellanos is still owed $20 million for the 2026 season.
All reports point to the Philadelphia Phillies making a decision with outfielder Nick Castellanos before the 2026 regular season begins. One would think that decision might be coming soon as spring training approaches. Castellanos’ relationship with manager Rob Thompson seems to be faltering, and the two-time All-Star’s offensive production is slipping, along with being a poor defender.
So, the Phillies can either outright release Nick Castellanos, or they could try and find a suitor to take on the remaining $20 million of his contract. This is the hard part, as not many teams want to eat up that money for Castellanos, who posted a -bWAR last season. However, a recent trade pitch has the Pittsburgh Pirates making a splash for Castellanos and giving up a prospect in return.
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Phillies Trade Idea Offloads Nick Castellanos
FanSided’s Christopher Kline recently published a handful of potential trades that could happen in MLB, and he predicts that the Phillies will trade Nick Castellanos to the Pirates in return for prospect Edgleen Perez:
“If the Pittsburgh Pirates bump Ryan O’Hearn to a corner outfield spot, there are DH reps wide-open for Castellanos. That allows him to focus solely on swinging the bat without the pressures and scrutiny of everyday defense. There’s still some pop left, and Pittsburgh could use a bopper after whiffing on Eugenio Suárez and, ironically, Philly’s own Kyle Schwarber.”
GettyNick Castellanos is still owed $20 million for the 2026 season.
The idea behind this is that the Phillies eat up like $10 million of Castellanos’ remaining salary on his contract, and then gain a young catching prospect in return. The Pirates have been linked to many impactful right-handed bats this offseason, and seemingly want to improve their roster headed into the 2026 season. Marcell Ozuna has been a target the Pirates are linked to.
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Nick Castellanos Career Outlook
While Castellanos’ tenure may be coming to a close with the Phillies, that doesn’t mean he can’t be successful with another MLB organization. In four seasons with Philadelphia, he has 82 home runs and an OPS+ of 100. There’s nothing really pointing to him being any better than a .250 hitter with an upside of maybe 20 home runs, and a ceiling of a league average OPS+. He was named to the All-Star team in 2023, but there’s been nothing but turmoil since.
The only issue with this trade idea that the Phillies might have is the haul they could fetch in return. Edgleen Perez is a 19-year-old catcher prospect who hasn’t hit all that well, spread across a few different single-A leagues.
According to Castellanos’ BaseballReference.com page, he is projected to hit .254 in 2026 with 19 home runs and an OPS of .727.
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