With pitchers and catchers already reporting to Spring Training, the clock is ticking for the Philadelphia Phillies to make their final move of the offseason: trading Nick Castellanos.
After a bitter back-and-forth throughout the 2025 season with manager Rob Thompson, the club has been trying to move Castellanos and his $20 million contract throughout the winter to no avail.
Still, parting ways with him remains a clear priority.
The Phillies told Nick Castellanos not to report to Spring Training, per @MattGelb
It was reported earlier this offseason that Philadelphia is expected to trade or release Castellanos before Opening Day pic.twitter.com/FMbNqLdYrD
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) February 11, 2026
With the 2026 MLB season fast approaching, it’s time for the Phillies to be the aggressor and call on the one general manager always eager to make a deal: A.J. Preller of the San Diego Padres.
PREDICTION
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Phillies Will Trade Nick Castellanos to the San Diego Padres
Trading Castellanos will be a challenge. His bat is steadily declining. From 2023 to 2025, the slugger has seen his average drop 22 points (.272 to .250) and RBI’s plummet from 106 to 72.
While there’s room to chalk the regression up to opportunity, Castellanos is no longer the player he once was, and his defining characteristic as a home run hitter is even more eye-opening.
In 589 plate appearances in 2025, Castellanos hit just 17 home runs. It is his lowest total since he popped just 13 in 2022, and a primary reason his slugging percentage and OPS+ both dropped nearly 30 points.
Add in Castellanos’ $20 million salary, and it’s easy to see why the Phillies are uninterested in keeping him around.
So why would the Padres be eager to acquire Castellanos?
Padres’ Potential Interest in Nick Castellanos
There have been no signs that the Padres are interested in trading for Castellanos. However, San Diego chose to focus their offseason strategy on retaining starting pitcher Michael King and adding a platoon designated hitter Miguel Andujar, leaving a hole at first base.
Sure, the Padres could turn to Gavin Sheets or Jake Cronenworth to fill the role, but that would either detract from the DH platoon or weaken a supposed offensive stronghold at the position.
Although Castellanos has never played first base in his career, he told MLB Network he would “really welcome” the change.
Nick Castellanos on possibly playing first base, via @MLBNetwork:
“It was brought up to me and honestly, it’s something that I really welcome.”
— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) December 5, 2025
With Castellanos open to the position change and the Padres’ desire for another right-handed power bat, all that is left is for Philadelphia to pay part of the remaining contract in exchange for a lower-level prospect.
It’s either that or outright releasing Castellanos. While that remains on the table, it’s something the Phillies do not want to do, nor a resolution the Padres should wait to pan out.
Nick Castellanos Stats
Castellanos really struggled at the plate in 2025, and his stats weren’t pretty.
2025 Stats:
147 GP
-0.8 WAR
547 AB
.250 BA
.294 OBP
.400 SLG
88 OPS+
72 RBI
17 HR
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