Philadelphia Phillies President Dave Dombrowski has made it clear that Nick Castellanos will not be on the team's Opening Day roster, despite him being a key contributor in the postseason. The 33-year-old outfielder is currently under contract for $20 million in 2026, but Philly wants to get rid of him.
The issue isn't just about moving on from a decent hitter; it's about trying to pawn off Castellanos' massive salary onto another team. According to MLB insider Ken Rosenthal, the Padres are interested in acquiring Castellanos, given their need for a first baseman and his versatility at the position.
However, Castellanos' defense has been a major issue throughout his career, particularly in the outfield. He struggled last season, losing his everyday player status due to poor defense, making it a stretch that he'd be an ideal fit for San Diego's infield.
Despite this, Rosenthal notes that if the Phillies do trade him, they'll likely pick up most of the $20 million left on his contract, and Castellanos will enter his free agent year with a chance to rebuild his value.
Castellanos' production in Philadelphia has been mediocre – a .260/.306/.426 slash line over four seasons. Compared to teammate Brandon Marsh, who had a higher WAR (1.7) in 2025 than Castellanos had over four seasons.
The question remains: what kind of return will the Phillies get for their soon-to-be-released veteran? A team like Miami, where he hails from, might be interested, but it's unclear if they'd be willing to take on his salary. The Pirates could also be a possibility, particularly given their need for hitting.
The only thing working in Castellanos' favor is that the Phillies are paying him $20 million to play against another team. If he can't turn things around, he risks becoming dead money.
The issue isn't just about moving on from a decent hitter; it's about trying to pawn off Castellanos' massive salary onto another team. According to MLB insider Ken Rosenthal, the Padres are interested in acquiring Castellanos, given their need for a first baseman and his versatility at the position.
However, Castellanos' defense has been a major issue throughout his career, particularly in the outfield. He struggled last season, losing his everyday player status due to poor defense, making it a stretch that he'd be an ideal fit for San Diego's infield.
Despite this, Rosenthal notes that if the Phillies do trade him, they'll likely pick up most of the $20 million left on his contract, and Castellanos will enter his free agent year with a chance to rebuild his value.
Castellanos' production in Philadelphia has been mediocre – a .260/.306/.426 slash line over four seasons. Compared to teammate Brandon Marsh, who had a higher WAR (1.7) in 2025 than Castellanos had over four seasons.
The question remains: what kind of return will the Phillies get for their soon-to-be-released veteran? A team like Miami, where he hails from, might be interested, but it's unclear if they'd be willing to take on his salary. The Pirates could also be a possibility, particularly given their need for hitting.
The only thing working in Castellanos' favor is that the Phillies are paying him $20 million to play against another team. If he can't turn things around, he risks becoming dead money.
. He's not exactly setting the world on fire, but I guess 20 mil is a lot to swallow for any team 
. The Padres might be interested, but if they do take him in, they'll probably just end up with another headache with his defense 
. Maybe Miami or Pittsburgh will come through and snag him, but it's hard to see them taking on that kind of salary...I feel like the Phillies are basically paying him to play for someone else 
. Either way, I'm curious to see what he does in free agency – if he can turn things around, maybe we'll get a different story 
.
goes into getting rid of a player 
! Philly wants out, but it's not that simple 
. Nick Castellanos has been decent, I guess 
, but his defense has been 
bad 
. If they can't get him to shape up, he'll be hard to trade 
.
on another team. It's like, if you can't keep him, maybe it's because he's not that great 
? And what about Castellanos' future in baseball? Does he have a second chance 
or is it goodbye 
?
, but I'm not sure if they'd take on that much $$$ 
, but maybe they're just trying to get out of paying him too 
.
Whatever happens next, it's gonna be interesting 
. Meanwhile, Castellanos is just trying to prove himself all over again. I hope he can find a new team that values him as a player, not just as a salary dump 
#TeamPhillys. He's got some decent skills, but his defense has been a major issue for years 
. The only bright spot in this whole mess is that Philly gets to take on most of his contract - I mean, who wouldn't want to give up a bunch of money for someone who's been a solid bench player? 
theyre gonna have a tough time finding someone willing to take on his 20 MILLION DOLLAR CONTRACT