We are back with another season of the Phillies Mailbag.   Each week we take your questions and answer them on The Sports Bash with Mike Gill.  Tune in each and every week to hear your questions answered on the air.

Are the Phillies simply “running it back?”

I think that this is a fair statement to make.  The Phillies, though they have made some changes, are largely the same core that they had in the previous years.  Unfortunately, the Phillies were eliminated by the Los Angeles Dodgers early and the World Series dreams quickly were eliminated.

But the Phillies have a really good team.

The one major hole remains: The Phillies have no clear right-handed hitter who can bat behind Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber.

In recent years, contact-bat (who is pretty good) Alec Bohm has perhaps been miscast in that role.  As such, the Phillies found themselves using J.T. Realmuto at times.  Nick Castellanos – more on him shortly – is not the answer, either.

Had the Phillies successfully signed Bo Bichette, this talk might not exist.

So there is a letdown of course after that.  But the Phillies remain a really good ballclub.  They have added some new faces (Adolis Garcia, Brad Keller) but also lost some (Ranger Suarez, Harrison Bader).

Unless the Phillies find success with Garcia, I think this will be the tagline that follows them much of the season.

Why is Nick Castellanos still here?

Well, Castellanos is actually NOT “here,” or at least Clearwater, Florida.  According to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, the Phillies have instructed him not to report to Clearwater.  It seems a deal or a release is imminent.

Why did take so long?

The Phillies were under no obligation to release Castellanos.  As Spring Training ends, and teams still have holes, maybe they can find someone to provide a little salary relief, if not much.  But time is running out, and the next time the Phillies need a roster spot, he’s probably the one to go.

Maybe as our dear friend Geoff Mosher suggested, Castellanos could find a home with the Toronto Blue Jays, now down Anthony Santander for some time.

Or maybe he will be released and find a home someplace like Miami, his hometown.

But the Phillies are moving forward without Castellanos either way, it would appear.

Do the Phillies have enough starting pitching?

The Phillies recently indicated that ace Zack Wheeler, while he is throwing in Clearwater and expected to recover from his Thoractic Outlet Syndrome surgery, will not be on the Opening Day roster.   That leaves the Phillies really thin in the starting pitching world.

That would mean the Phillies rotation looks like this:

Cristopher SanchezJesus LuzardoAaron NolaTaijuan WalkerAndrew Painter

The top two sound great, based upon 2025.  But there are question marks here.

Who is Nola in 2026?  Is he ready to be his old self, or is he going to struggle as 2025?  Is he over his injuries?  We will not know until he is pitching.

Who is Painter?  The top prospect, thought to be someone who would have helped the 2025 Phillies roster, did not ultimately rise to the major leagues. His command will be very much worth watching in Clearwater.

Finally, Walker was a nice pitcher for the Phillies last season when he went back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen.  That’s a tough role to have, and he made a big difference for the Phillies last season.

But if Walker is in the rotation, they have no one like him to jump in.

I suppose Alan Rangel is the sixth starter at this point.

Zac Gallen, the South Jersey native and graduate of Bishop Eustice High School, remains available.  As does a lesser-name like Patrick Corbin, who had a rebirth last season with the Texas Rangers.  Zack Littel is a free agent, who split 2025 nicely between the Tampa Bay Rays and Cincinnati Reds.

I would feel much better if the Philles added another arm, and soon.