Baseball is back. Spring Training is rolling, and the MLB news cycle is really starting to pick up. Over in Philadelphia, the Phillies have provided a predictable update on right fielder Nick Castellanos.
Elsewhere, fans are witnessing “Hamategate”. Jackson Holliday, Corbin Carroll, and Francisco Lindor are all dealing with hamate (hand) injuries, which could impact their availability for Opening Day.
Those three injuries will be ones to monitor in the coming weeks, but the Castellanos situation will likely reach a resolution much sooner. The most recent update surrounding the 13-year MLB veteran is that the Phillies have asked him not to report to Spring Training, as they’re still planning to move on from him ahead of Opening Day.
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
Whether his departure from Philadelphia comes in the form of a trade or his release remains to be seen, but today, we’ll be evaluating one potential landing spot via trade.
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Nick Castellanos to the Rockies: MLB Trade Idea
The Colorado Rockies are in a rough spot entering the 2026 MLB season. Fresh off a 43-win campaign, it was recently announced that their 178-million-dollar man, Kris Bryant, will begin the year on the 60-day IL after appearing in just 11 games last season.
Kris Bryant will begin the season on the 60-Day IL, per a team announcement.
Bryant has played just 170 games over his first 4 seasons in Colorado. pic.twitter.com/B82qCIICTC
— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) February 10, 2026
The Rockies are in desperate need of some offensive talent, and Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report believes it could come in the form of Castellanos.
Kelly has proposed a trade in which the Rockies land Castellanos while giving up nothing other than picking $1 million of the $20 million he’s owed this season.
“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,” wrote Kelly.
Should The Rockies Make a Nick Castellanos Trade?
If this deal goes down as Kelly proposes—with Colorado simply sending one million George Washingtons to Philadelphia—this would be an incredibly easy decision for Colorado.
After finishing the 2025 season 29th in runs scored, the Rockies need to be taking chances on players who are inexpensive but also possess the potential to make a meaningful offensive impact.
Paying five percent of Castellanos’s salary would be just that kind of move.
Yes, his performance at the dish was horrific in 2025. However, as Kelly noted, Castellanos has a strong track record, and Colorado would be banking on him rolling back the clock.
Just two years ago, he was an All-Star who hit 29 long balls, drove in 106 runs, and posted an OPS+ of 112. Even if he can’t reclaim that form, anything that slightly resembles that level of impact would be welcomed in Colorado.
Altogether, this is a move that makes perfect sense for the Rockies, and the front office in Colorado needs to pick up the phone in the coming days.
Nick Castellanos Stats
Castellanos’s 2025 numbers were horrific, but there’s still a world where he turns in a solid 2026 campaign.
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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