The Philadelphia Phillies seem to be doing everything they can to get Nick Castellanos out of town this winter, but nothing is working.
Considering that Castellanos is due to make $20 million in the final year of his contract next season, that isn’t too surprising, but the Phillies can’t even seem to find a trade suitor in spite of the fact that they are apparently willing to eat a chunk of that salary.
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But is Philadelphia jumping the gun in trying to jettison Castellanos?
Former MLB catcher Erik Kratz thinks so, arguing on Foul Territory that Phillies fans should be careful what they wish for when it comes to the veteran outfielder.
“You also want to look up on Baseball Reference how many errors Nick has in the outfield: zero,” Kratz said. “He’s one of two guys who shows up in the playoffs for the Phillies on a year-in and year-out basis. … Be careful everybody.”
Well, using errors as a means to judge defensive competence is very obsolete. Castellanos may not have any errors, but he has horrendous range and has always been an awkward outfielder.
Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos. Credit:Â Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images.
This past season, the 33-year-old posted a minus-11 DRS and minus-12 OAA. He has been in the negatives in both categories every single year of his career since entering the big leagues in 2013.
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And while Castellanos has certainly had some moments in the playoffs, he owns a lifetime .660 OPS across 175 postseason plate appearances.
Kratz also argued that Phillies fans are too engrossed with Castellanos’ batting average, when in reality, it’s the entire package.
Castellanos posted a .694 OPS in 2025 and has been below .700 in that category in two of his four seasons in Philadelphia. He has also not registered an OPS of .800 or better throughout his entire tenure with the Phillies.
Couple that with the fact that he is one of the worst defenders in baseball and alienated the locker room due to a confrontation with manager Rob Thomson this past year, and you can understand why Philadelphia wants him gone.
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There was a time when Castellanos was valuable thanks to his bat, but those days have come and gone. And if he were really as good as Kratz says he is, then the Phillies wouldn’t be having so much difficulty moving him.
Castellanos’ best days are behind him. It’s clear as day at this point.