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A report surfaced after the Phillies were ousted from the NLDS that they intend to jettison Nick Castellanos before next season — either via trade or by simply releasing him. Castellanos has been a sometimes productive, sometimes not, and oftentimes controversial player during his four seasons with the Phillies. Last offseason, there were definitive rumors, worded similarly to the one about Castellanos, claiming that the Phillies were most definitely going to be moving on from Alec Bohm. And that obviously never happened. So until he's off the Phillies' roster for good, there's no telling what the future holds. Do you think the Phillies should keep him? Or are you hoping the report from Matt Gelb and others is correct? Why he should stay He is kind of clutch Say what you want about Castellanos, and a lot can be said, but the Phillies might not have had a more clutch hitter in decades. Since 2022, when he signed a five-year, $100 million deal, no major league hitter has more than his seven walk-off hits. In 2024 alone, he had four of them. And while he can slump, and hard, he also delivers in the postseason. In their series loss to the Dodgers, Castellanos hit a two-run double that got the Phillies back in Game 2 and nearly led to an epic comeback. In Game 4, he drove in the Phillies' only run before they faltered in extra innings. There is some value in delivering under pressure, something other Phillies hitters have struggled mightily with. He's under contract The Phillies owe Castellanos $20 million in 2026. And unless they trade him, they're going to be paying him. There is some precedent for the Phils swallowing a bad contract and sticking with a player who has been underachieving. After a pair of pretty ugly Taijuan Walker seasons, Philly kept him on the 26-man roster all year in 2025 and he contributed as a reliever and spot starter. It's possible that, if they cannot find a trade — and if he cooperates — Castellanos could wind up being a fourth outfielder, a platoon kind of player as he hits much better against lefties (.294 career average). They could minimize his lack of defense, too, if the Phillies have Johan Rojas on the roster in 2026 to serve as a defensive replacement. He will be very hard to trade A report last week saying the Phillies want to get rid of Castellanos won't do the front office any favors, with the other 29 clubs knowing the team doesn't want him. A $20 million player who has had locker room issues and who doesn't play the field well isn't going to fetch a lot of suitors. And as we just mentioned, the Phillies will no doubt want to try and get something for their money if they can't find a team to at least take on some of his salary in a trade. Phillies stay or go seriesRob Thomson | Dave Dombrowski | Kyle Schwarber | Ranger Suárez | J.T. Realmuto | Nick Castellanos | Harrison Bader | Alec Bohm | Max Kepler | Walker Buehler | Taijuan Walker | Jordan Romano, David Robertson, José Alvarado | Rafael Marchán, Weston Wilson, Edmundo Sosa, Otto Kemp Why he should go: He's just bad Last season, Aaron Judge led all major leaguers with 9.7 total WAR (wins above replacement), according to baseball-reference. Nick Castellanos, and this is not an exaggeration, ranked 738th of 763 players in WAR. If you go by their metric for "wins above replacement for a position player," Castellanos is tied for dead last at -2.9. There's a reason why that report came out. He's been almost unplayable. He's blocking Justin Crawford Getting rid of Castellanos actually helps the Phillies solve some outfield problems. For a moment, let's assume that the Phillies are able to keep Harrison Bader, who is expected to reject a $10 million mutual option to try and get more money for 2026. If the Phils strike a deal with the speedy outfielder, they'll be able to line up their outfield with Bader in center, Brandon Marsh in right and top offensive prospect Justin Crawford in left — hanging on to Rojas as a fourth outfielder and Otto Kemp as a utility man who can also play the outfield. Crawford is a former first-round pick and played all of 2025 in Triple-A. He slashed .334/.411/.452 with 46 stolen bases. The Phillies need to get him to the majors. He is a clubhouse distraction The Phillies made it clear they are sticking with manager Rob Thomson, who could receive an extension this offseason. Castellanos has had "strained" communication over the years with Thomson and was benched by the team after he made some sort of inappropriate comment to the manager when he was lifted for defense in Miami in June during the regular season. Despite his decline on the field, Castellanos has been outspoken and critical about his part-time role during the second half of the regular season and the playoffs. His behavior is not going to do him many favors and could cause him to be unemployed next season. What's your take on Castellanos? SIGN UP HERE to receive the PhillyVoice Sports newsletter Follow Evan on Twitter:@evan_macy Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
