Phillies prove desire to move on from Nick Castellanos with latest free-agent target

The Philadelphia Phillies are reportedly looking for a right-handed platoon hitter in the outfield. In theory, they already have such an option on their roster.

Nick Castellanos struggled in 2025, posting a disappointing .250/.294/.400 batting line over his 589 plate appearances, hitting 17 homers and 27 doubles. He also struggled with the platoon advantage, posting a .243/.293/.387 batting line with five homers and 10 doubles against left-handed pitching.

That has not been the case over his career. Castellanos has been a strong option against left-handed pitching historically, posting a .294/.344/.509 batting line with 76 homers and 96 doubles in 1,732 career plate appearances against southpaws. As Castellanos is in the final year of his five-year, $100M contract, using him as a platoon bat would be a way to get some value out of what has become a sunk cost.

Phillies' pursuit of platoon bat shows how serious they are about getting rid of Nick Castellanos

Instead, the Phillies have another target in mind. According to Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic, the Phillies are interested in Randal Grichuk as that platoon outfielder.

As was the case with Castellanos, Grichuk struggled in 2025, posting a .228/.273/.401 batting line with nine homers and 18 doubles over his 293 plate appearances between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Kansas City Royals. Grichuk has also historically hit left-handed pitching well, with a .268/.318/.500 batting line in 1,672 career plate appearances, hitting 79 homers and 98 doubles. While Grichuk is unlikely to command a significant contract, he would be an additional cost to a team that essentially has the same player on their roster.

By pursuing Grichuk in free agency, the Phillies have underscored their decision to move on from Castellanos. He had reportedly become a malcontent, with other players and coaches "disgusted" by his comments to manager Rob Thomson. In this case, the Phillies may find that addition by subtraction is the best option, even if that means bringing in a player with a similar offensive profile.