Stay or Go: Should the Phillies let go of Nick Castellanos?
Here’s Part 6 of Phillies Nation’s Stay or Go series.
Should the Phillies cut ties with Nick Castellanos? President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski alluded to the team potentially moving on from the right fielder after four years at the team’s end-of-season press conference in October. Castellanos is under contract for $20 million in 2026, the final year of his 5-year, $100 million contract signed prior to the 2022 season.
Castellanos posted solid numbers at the plate through the first three months of season, struggled badly in July and August before losing playing time in September. He finished the year with the lowest FanGraphs WAR total among qualified hitters at -0.6.
Should the Phillies keep or let go of Castellanos? Vote in the poll below and we’ll reveal the results for all players at the end of the series.
Previous editions of Stay or Go:
Destiny Lugardo — Site Director — Stay
Will Castellanos return? Probably not. But if this were a computer simulation and egos weren’t involved, there is logic to sticking with Castellanos for another year. Twenty million dollars is a lot of money to pay someone to go away. He will probably have a better year at the plate next year than he did last year. Right-handed hitters are hard to find. His knee was probably a bigger issue than most realized. Maybe he has a good first half and you flip him for something at the deadline?
Ty Daubert — Editorial Director — Go
When the Phillies went into the luxury tax to sign Castellanos in 2022, he was coming off a season in which he hit 34 home runs and batted .309. He was one of the best right-handed hitters in the major leagues in 2021, and it seemed like the Phillies were adding a difference maker to the middle of their order. But in four seasons in Philadelphia, Castellanos has not performed to that level. He has an All-Star appearance and a handful of big postseason swings, but still just a .732 OPS since joining the Phillies. His production dipped in a career-worst 2025, and he lost playing time down the stretch. The right fielder expressed frustration with his diminished role. If Castellanos looks like he did at the plate and in the field again next year, he likely won’t have a starting spot with the Phillies in 2026. Both sides could benefit from a split, even with another year left on Castellanos’ contract.
Nathan Ackerman — Staff Writer — Go
Castellanos’ relationship with Rob Thomson is clearly deeply fractured, and there’s no incentive for the Phillies to try to see if they can patch things over while he’s still wearing red pinstripes. He’s not a productive player in any facet of the game at this point, and the logical act of benching him is met with friction because of the player he used to be. It was a memorable contract in that it pushed the Phillies over the luxury tax, now a norm, for the first time in franchise history, and there were a good number of postseason moments that are still remembered fondly. The rest of the experience, though, won’t be, save for a couple good quotes. It was a good contract at the time. It didn’t work out. All sides, honestly, should count their losses.
Bailey Digh — Staff Writer — Go
We’ve seen this divorce coming for some time. Castellanos wasn’t productive at the plate this year. His defense made his value even worse. His playing time decreased after the trade deadline. There appeared to be issues between Castellanos and the people in charge. It’s best for both sides to move on, even if it means the Phillies have to pay most of the $20 million owed to Castellanos in 2026.