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With Rob Thomson Out of the Picture, Maybe the Phillies’ Best Right Field Option is… Nick Castellanos
By Sean Barnard
Published:
Walk with me here.
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Whether they want to admit it or not, the Phillies’ outfield situation falls under the category of desperate times.
Nick Castellanos was inked to a five-year, $100 million contract that was set to expire at the end of this season, with the hopes he would be a stabilizing force in right field. There were some notable ups and down across his four seasons in Philadelphia, but, ultimately, the relationship fractured to the point where the Phillies cut their losses by outright releasing him after failing to find a trade partner this past offseason.
Reports surfaced from both Castellanos and the Phillies perspectives regarding why the relationship deteriorated. Personally, I appreciated the direct approach from Castellanos and thought the handwritten messages were a nice touch:
The Phillies signed Adolis Garcia to a one-year, $10 million contract to replace Castellanos ahead of the start of the season. Garcia’s defense was a night-and-day improvement, and there is a fair case for him being the best defensive right fielder in baseball. His bat did not quite meet expectations, although it showed some signs of life prior to him going down with his season-ending latissimus dorsi tear. Across his 67 games played in Philadelphia, Garcia finished with slash lines of .195/.270/.329 with a .599 OPS. The two-time All-Star tallied 45 hits, seven home runs, and 21 RBIs.
But this is no longer a Nick Castellanos vs. Adolis Garcia conversation. Garcia will miss the remainder of the season and will not play another game in a Phillies uniform unless a new contract is agreed upon.
Outfield depth and overall talent were a concern coming into the season, particularly from the right side of the plate, and the injury only further magnifies this.
Brandon Marsh is having a career-best season and has been a stabilizing force for the team. Justin Crawford should largely be viewed positively, but has had some expected rookie ups and downs. Otto Kemp was expected to play a role, but hit just .080 at the plate before he was sent down to the minor leagues. Felix Reyes continues to mash in the minors, but hit just .158 at the MLB level and is still figuring out the field. Gabriel Rincones Jr. was the latest player to get the call-up, but he’s hitting .053, and I am not sure we have seen him get ahead in a count once at the MLB level. Utility player Edmundo Sosa has logged 14 games in the outfield, while Kyle Schwarber and Garrett Stubbs have each seen opportunities. Dylan Moore and Steward Berroa have seen some chances, and the Phillies traded for journeyman Derek Hill in the latest band-aid effort.
My point here is that none of these options are particularly great, or to the standard of what a World Series contender should have in the outfield. Fixing this is the far more complicated problem.
The MLB trade deadline is August 3rd, and this will be the final true chance to put the finishing touches on the roster. The Phillies have been active at the deadline, particularly in the outfield market, on just about a yearly basis to varying degrees of success. Harrison Bader was an excellent addition last year, before he suffered an injury during the playoffs. Austin Hays was not as impactful the year prior.
But in each circumstance, it requires players and prospects to be moved to add to this team. This is where the Phillies particularly run into a problem this season. Aidan Miller remains the top prospect in the farm system, but has battled back issues all season, and his value has shrunk as a result. Andrew Painter was the potential big chip the franchise could have moved last year, but he was called into the starting rotation this year and shelled for a 7.06 ERA in 14 games before being sent back down to the minors. Gage Wood is climbing the ranks quickly and could move the needle on some trades, but also isn’t a guy the Phillies should be in a rush to move with Painter’s uncertain future in mind.
While the pipe dreams of trading for Tarik Skubal, Byron Buxton, or Mike Trout sound great in theory, there isn’t a legitimate pathway to acquiring this caliber of names based on the limitations of their farm system. Even if you can piece together the framework of a major deal, would this even be the right decision based on the state of the organization?
This is where Nick Castellanos comes into play. Acquiring him wouldn’t take a massive swing to empty the farm system. He was DFA’d by the Padres and is currently spending his time watching Liam’s baseball tournaments:
It should also be made clear that the bulk of the issues Castellanos had internally centered around his relationship with Rob Thomson. Topper is no longer in charge, and Casty’s gripes about Thomson not playing at the highest level would go over a little differently with Don Mattingly at the helm. I also have a hard time being overly critical of the former Silver Slugger’s frustrations of being taken out of games. He was unapologetically himself, gave you everything he got, even with his flaws in mind, and suited up to take the field every single game. Sure, he will chase down and away sliders at a maddening rate, but there is plenty of good with the bad.
One would also think that this past year has to be some sort of wake-up call to the former All-Star outfielder. Expectation would be a bit different being signed as a midseason free agent addition than they were when inked to a lucrative contract the first time around, and this message should be made clear before the contract is offered.
This is not to say Castellanos is the perfect fix or the player the Phillies currently need. He never carved out a niche on the Padres and was released after slashing a poor .191/221/.339 with 22 hits to his 34 strikeouts. But don’t let hard feelings and revisionist history change the fact that Castellanos was the Phillies’ most dangerous hitter for stretches and has done it when the bright lights of the postseason were on him. This is not trading for a guy you hope can reach a new level; this is bringing back a guy you’re hoping can get back to the level he has shown before. In 17 plate appearances in the 2024 playoffs, the 34-year-old slashed .412/.412/.647 with an impressive 1.059 OPS.
Given the Phillies’ current outfield limitations and the trade pieces they have to work with, Dave Dombrowski is going to need to get creative. Taking a flyer on a guy without needing to give up any player or prospect is the type of low-risk, high-reward option the Phillies should be in the business of.
Sometimes, to move forward, you have to go back. The Phillies are still paying the guy anyway, let’s put a different ending on the Castellanos era.
Kinkead: Combing through the roster rules, I don’t see anything that would explicitly block Casty from re-signing here. He was released before Spring Training and later DFA’d by the Padres, who brought in Nick on a league-minimum, one-year deal. The Phillies’ immediate re-signing window would have been closed until May 15th, but we cleared that date weeks ago, so it looks like there are no mechanics quirks here.
Sean Barnard has covered the Philadelphia 76ers and general Philly Sports for over six years in a variety of roles and for multiple outlets. Currently works as a Content Writer for DraftKings Network, Sixers/NBA Insider for Philadelphia's Fox Sports the Gambler, and co-host of Sixers & Phillies Digest on Youtube. Forever Trusting the Process.