While speaking at MLB’s general managers’ meetings in Scottsdale, Ariz., president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski indicated to reporters that the Phillies are “pretty well set” on the position player side.
That doesn’t preclude Dombrowski from making a big trade.
According to MLB.com‘s Mark Feinsand, the Phillies are open to trading right fielder Nick Castellanos.
“According to a source, the Phillies are open to the idea of trading Nick Castellanos,” Feinsand wrote, “whose streaky ways and disappointing performance in the NLCS could result in an offseason change.
Castellanos, 31, rebounded from a tough first year with the Phillies. He was one of two Phillies representatives at the All-Star Game and finished 2023 with a .272/.311/.476 slash line with 29 home runs and 106 RBIs. He was as locked in as a hitter could be during the National League Division Series against the Braves, hitting four home runs, including two against Spencer Strider in a Game 4 clincher.
Like many Phillies hitters, Castellanos struggled following Game 2 of the NLCS, going 0-for-19 to end the series and coming up short in multiple key spots.
Castellanos, Trea Turner and others expanded the strike zone over the last five games of the NLCS. That combined with the Phillies’ early-season struggles with chasing led to Dombrowski commenting on the team’s need to improve in that area in 2024.
“We swung at way too many pitches out of the strike zone this year. Way too many,” Dombrowski said at the Phillies’ end-of-year press conference. “I know we have guys that chase, but for whatever reason, they chased even more this year. And that’s something I think we need to address. I know we’ll address it because we’ve already had meetings on how we get better in that regard.”
The Phillies could pursue improvement through trading personnel. Nobody is taking on the remaining 10 years and around $272 million remaining on Turner’s deal, so the Phillies could turn their attention to moving Castellanos.
Castellanos is owed $60 million over the next three seasons. If the Phillies were to trade Castellanos, the Phillies would likely pay down a portion of the deal. This year’s free agent class is short on position players, so a team in need of a right-handed hitting outfielder could give the Phillies a call.
Trading Castellanos will free up a spot in the outfield. With Kyle Schwarber expected to be the Phillies’ full-time DH, the Phillies would have to either sign or trade for a replacement.
The options on the market are not great. Jorge Soler, who opted out of his deal with the Marlins, is more of a DH. Teoscar Hernandez is a free agent. The Phillies reportedly had interest in acquiring him at the deadline, but he comes with the same swing-and-miss and streakiness concerns.
Despite Dombrowski publicly stating the Phillies’ plan to name Bryce Harper as the team’s full-time first baseman, Feinsand suggests that in the event the Phillies trade Castellanos, the Phillies could move Harper back to right field and re-sign Rhys Hoskins. Dombrowski told reporters that the Phillies called Hoskins on Sunday to inform him of the team’s plan to move Harper to first base.
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