Phillies Patiently Wait for Buyer to Take on Castellanos' Contraction
The Philadelphia Phillies are taking a measured approach in their offseason plans, particularly when it comes to handling the cumbersome contract of long-time outfielder Nick Castellanos. With one year left on his deal worth $20 million in 2026, the team is hoping that someone else will step in and take on at least a portion of that salary.
According to Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, maintaining the team's roughly $313 million payroll total from this past season into next year is a key goal. This means Castellanos, who has struggled to live up to expectations this season, may be forced out of Philadelphia as part of a larger roster overhaul.
Insider Matt Gelb writes for The Athletic that the Phillies are being patient, holding off on jettisoning Castellanos in order to wait for a buyer. However, it's unclear if such a suitor exists, given the relatively high salary. Smaller-market clubs have reportedly expressed interest in spending more this offseason, but whether they'll be willing to take on Castellanos' contract remains to be seen.
Castellanos himself seems resigned to his fate, saying that "whatever happens is going to happen." He's had a rough season at the plate and has struggled with defense, leading to benching by manager Rob Thomson. While it may not be a shocking move for Philadelphia to part ways with him, the team is choosing to wait and see if someone else will take on the financial burden of his contract.
In other words, Castellanos' days in Philadelphia may be numbered, but it's unclear what the Phillies' ultimate plan is for his future.
The Philadelphia Phillies are taking a measured approach in their offseason plans, particularly when it comes to handling the cumbersome contract of long-time outfielder Nick Castellanos. With one year left on his deal worth $20 million in 2026, the team is hoping that someone else will step in and take on at least a portion of that salary.
According to Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, maintaining the team's roughly $313 million payroll total from this past season into next year is a key goal. This means Castellanos, who has struggled to live up to expectations this season, may be forced out of Philadelphia as part of a larger roster overhaul.
Insider Matt Gelb writes for The Athletic that the Phillies are being patient, holding off on jettisoning Castellanos in order to wait for a buyer. However, it's unclear if such a suitor exists, given the relatively high salary. Smaller-market clubs have reportedly expressed interest in spending more this offseason, but whether they'll be willing to take on Castellanos' contract remains to be seen.
Castellanos himself seems resigned to his fate, saying that "whatever happens is going to happen." He's had a rough season at the plate and has struggled with defense, leading to benching by manager Rob Thomson. While it may not be a shocking move for Philadelphia to part ways with him, the team is choosing to wait and see if someone else will take on the financial burden of his contract.
In other words, Castellanos' days in Philadelphia may be numbered, but it's unclear what the Phillies' ultimate plan is for his future.
. He seems like a nice guy who just can't catch a break on the field right now. The Phillies are trying to do what they think is best for the team, but it's gotta be tough on him knowing he might not be back next year 
. I'm curious to see if anyone will actually step up and take on that contract, though. It'd be a big move for a smaller-market club 
. Maybe Castellanos just needs a fresh start somewhere else? 
. Maybe someone out there will come along and snatch him up, but until then, Philly's stuck with it 
. It's not like Nick Castellanos hasn't had his chance... he just ain't doin' squat 
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... I mean, he hasn't exactly been lighting up the scoreboard or playing top-notch defense this season 
. And yeah, $20 million is a pretty steep price to pay for someone who's struggled like that. It feels like they're just kicking the can down the road, hoping someone else will come along and take on his contract 
.
I mean, they've already got like $313 million on their payroll and now they're trying to wait around for someone else to take on some of that cash 
The Phillies should probably be focusing on making some actual moves to improve their team, rather than playing games with people's contracts 
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. But it seems like the Phillies are being super patient and not really taking any real action to address Castellanos' struggles 
. Anyway, back to Castellanos... if nobody wants to take on his contract, maybe the team should just eat the salary and be done with it? It'd be more transparent and show some actual commitment to winning rather than just waiting around for someone else to bail them out 
. i feel like they should just be like "hey, nick, you're done" but nope, gotta wait around for someone to save them from their own financial woes 
. meanwhile, the rest of us are over here enjoying the offseason already 
. That's like asking someone to buy your used car without even knowing what it is or how much it costs 
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. I'm not sure if some smaller-market team will come in and say "oh yeah, we'll take it!" 
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. He's just trying to survive the season without getting benched anymore 
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. They've got to make some tough decisions about who's worth keeping around and it seems like they're dragging their feet on making those calls. If there isn't someone out there willing to take on that money, then maybe Castellanos just needs to accept that his time in Philly is done 
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castellanos is like my guy lol but seriously philly needs to think about the payroll lol $313 million thats a lot of cash