Phillies 'doing everything they can' to trade $100 million outfielder

This offseason, the Philadelphia Phillies had a few very clear plans they were going to act on. One was re-signing Kyle Schwarber, and another was to either add a new catcher or re-sign J.T. Realmuto.

They've completed nearly all of their offseason plans so far, but there is still one major move on the horizon for the Phillies revolving around their $100 million outfielder, Nick Castellanos.

According to Dave Dombrowski, the Phillies have some aggressive plans with Castellanos. Ty Daubert of Phillies Nation shared that the Phillies are "doing everything they can" to trade Castellanos at this point in the offseason.

Phillies 'doing everything they can' to trade Nick Castellanos

"Dave Dombrowski said the Phillies are doing everything they can to move Nick Castellanos before camp begins," Daubert reports. "A change of scenery, via trade or release, is still the plan ahead of spring training."

While there's been plenty of talk about Castellanos being cut or traded this offseason, those rumors have died down as the offseason has progressed.

And for good reason. The Phillies aren't getting much traction on a trade. Castellanos is in the final year of a five-year, $100 million contract. He's owed $20 million this season.

After a rough 2025 season for the Phillies, in which his struggles defensively and regression offensively led the Phillies to platoon him in right field with Max Kepler at the end of the year, his market hasn't materialized.

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But, this isn't a surprise. Not many teams want a 34-year-old outfielder with poor defense and a regressing bat, especially at such a lofty price tag.

Even if the Phillies take on most of his contract, teams could just wait for the Phillies to cut him and then sign him as a free agent on a much cheaper deal for the 2026 season instead of giving the Phillies anything for him.

Dombrowski and the Phillies have made it clear that Castellanos won't be on the team in 2026, so why would a team jump the line to trade for him when they could wait for him to hit the open market?

Castellanos won't be with the Phillies by the start of training camp, but for the next few days, the Phillies will be actively seeking any possible trade offer for the $100 million outfielder.

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