Insider Says Royals Are Eyeing Phillies Outfielder Nick Castellanos in Trade

The Philadelphia Phillies will be buyers ahead of the trade deadline, but how much they are willing to give up to reshape this roster isn't clear.

For the most part, contending teams ship out their prospects to add established players, and much of the conversation has been centered on who the Phillies should or should not trade away in potential deals.

However, there's a chance Philadelphia could get creative.

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Trading players from their MLB roster could also net them a return, and according to Jon Heyman of The New York Post (subscription required), someone who could be of interest to the Kansas City Royals is Nick Castellanos.

"The Royals are seeking an OF who hits. Kwan, Jarren Duran and Ramon Laureano would fit, and they might consider Nick Castellanos, if available," the insider reported.

This was a surprising bit of information.

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It's not clear if the Phillies would trade Castellanos or not, and with the outfield issues they already have, moving their best hitter in that unit would be a surprising decision.

Who they would get back might dictate their true interest, since Philadelphia could also search for additional outfielders on the trade market and use Castellanos to acquire a bullpen arm or two from the Royals.

Still, it's hard to imagine something like this would get done.

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It's a major risk for the Phillies to ship out Castellanos despite his inconsistencies, especially since he's proven he can almost single-handedly win a playoff series for this team like he did against the Atlanta Braves during the 2023 NLDS.

But with Kansas City looking to make a splash addition to their roster who will help boost their poor offensive output, then perhaps they do offer Philadelphia something they can't turn down.

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