The Philadelphia Phillies are coming off a season in which they were just one win short of a second consecutive World Series appearance, but that may not stop them from making a major lineup change this winter.
Mark Feinsand of MLB.com was told by a source that the Phillies are open to trading outfielder Nick Castellanos during the offseason.
Castellanos signed a five-year, $100M contract with the Phillies prior to the 2022 season. He is owed $20M per year through the next three seasons, which is reasonable for a 31-year-old with his level of production. However, Feinsand wonders if the Phillies would prefer to spend that money on a replacement if they can find a suitor for Castellanos.
Castellanos hit .272 with 29 home runs and a career-high 106 RBIs during the regular season. He struggled as the year went on, however, and was eventually dropped all the way to eighth in the lineup.
Though he had some monster moments to help lead Philadelphia to a win in the NLDS, Castellanos went ice cold during the NLCS. He had just one hit in Game 1 and went hitless over the remaining six games of the series, which the Phillies lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Castellanos struck out a whopping 11 times in the series.
The possibility of Castellanos being traded provides some different context to the viral TV moment he had during the NLDS.
More must-reads: