The Philadelphia Phillies have reportedly been looking to trade All-Star outfielder Nick Castellanos for the entirety of the offseason, but no deal has come to fruition to this point.
Still, they could remain active in the trade market to get Castellanos and the rest of his money off their roster.
Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly suggested the Phillies would trade the All-Star outfielder to the Colorado Rockies before opening day this offseason.
“Castellanos signaled a willingness earlier this offseason to play first base if that’s what a team wanted from him,” Kelly wrote. “The Rockies currently have left-handed hitters penciled in at DH (Mickey Moniak), first base (Troy Johnston) and right field (Jake McCarthy).
“Castellanos could get relatively consistent at-bats in a very hitter-friendly environment if he was willing to move around a bit defensively. And the Rockies would be taking a chance that Castellanos — who posted an .839 OPS as recently as the second half of the 2024 season — bounces back and becomes a July trade candidate.”
The Rockies have been closely linked to Castellanos for a few months because of their assumed willingness to take on his money if they land a prospect in the deal, too.
The Phillies would likely be willing to include a prospect in the deal if it gets Castellanos off their roster. Philadelphia has plenty of outfield depth at this point, so holding onto Castellanos would give them a very expensive platoon bat. There are better things they could do with his money.
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