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The Philadelphia Phillies have been one of the best teams in Major League Baseball each of the last two seasons.
But twice they’ve fallen short of lifting a World Series trophy, losing to the Astros in the 2022 World Series and the Diamondbacks in the 2023 National League Championship Series.
Now it appears Philadelphia is looking to shake things up a bit, and All-Star outfielder Nick Castellanos could well be part of that plan.
Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports that the Phillies are open to the idea of trading Castellanos in the offseason.
Castellanos was an All-Star for the second time in his career in 2023. He finished the season with 29 home runs with 106 RBIs and a .788 OPS in 157 games.
But his streaky hitting reared its head in the playoffs.
The 31-year-old went 7-of-15 with four home runs and four RBIs in an NLDS victory over the Atlanta Braves. But he finished the NLCS with one hit in 24 at-bats, striking out 11 times while chasing more than 50% of pitches out of the zone.
Feinsand reports Philadelphia could pursue free agents such as Jorge Soler or Teoscar Hernandez to replace Castellanos.
A Castellanos trade would be yet another shakeup in what’s expected to be significant offseason for Philadelphia.
Longtime first baseman Rhys Hoskins is expected to leave in free agency. Bryce Harper is set to make a full-time move to first base starting in 2024.
Meanwhile, superstar pitcher Aaron Nola is now officially a free agent. Nola and the Phillies could not come to terms on an extension. Reports state the two sides were as far as $100 million away in negotiations.
Fellow star pitchers Blake Snell and Sonny Gray have been linked to a move to Philly.
As have Japanese stars Yoshinobu Yamomoto and Shota Imanaga.
Phillies owner John Middleton isn’t shy about spending. And this offseason isn’t expected to be any different.