The Toronto Blue Jays went into the offseason looking to make a major splash, and though have made several in the pitching market, the offense ultimately did not get the star it needed.
Of course, the highest profile example of this was the heartbreaking second place finish in the Kyle Tucker sweepstakes, and this showed the Blue Jays were very much involved in the outfield market. Given the latest injury news to Anthony Santander, that need could be even more significant.
While most of the available potential helping pieces there have been scooped up by this point, another became available on Thursday with the Philadelphia Phillies releasing two-time All-Star Nick Castellanos and eating the remaining $20 million on his contract.
Upon the breaking of the news that Castellanos was available, prominent baseball insider Jon Heyman of the New York Post named Toronto as one of a few teams who could be a fit for the veteran slugger.
Blue Jays Named Potential Nick Castellanos Fit by Heyman
Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
In his initial tweet, Heyman named Toronto alongside the Athletics, San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers and Cincinnati Reds, but said that the interest from teams is unclear. In a later post, Heyman revealed that there is “a lot of interest” across the league as teams were waiting for the inevitable release.
Given the fact that there was trouble between him and the Phillies and his contract being not movable, a release always felt like the most likely outcome, and that is ultimately the direction that Philadelphia chose to go.
Where he ends up now is anyone’s guess, but given the fact that the Blue Jays already had interest in the outfield even before Santander was announced to be out for an extended period, it’s safe to say Toronto will be involved in the process here.
Castellanos Would Help Blue Jays Outfield Depth
Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
It should be noted that Castellanos performed rather disastrously in the 2025 season, slashing .250/.294/.400 for a bWAR of -0.8 in 147 games played. He did have a decent year in the power department with 17 home runs and 72 RBI.
With 69 home runs and 264 RBI over the last three seasons combined, the 33-year-old is still capable of adding some pop into a lineup, but he clearly is not the player he was even a few years ago. Essentially, it would be a lottery ticket for Toronto that Castellanos is able to get back to previous form, but it certainly would not be a costly move.
Should Castellanos decide the Blue Jays are the team where he has the best chance to compete for a role in the outfield, fans in Toronto certainly would not be upset to see the arrival of someone who has been a solid player for a very long time.
While it maybe would not be a massive splash move for the Blue Jays, the status of Castellanos is certainly something worth monitoring over the course of the next week or so.
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