"Nick Castellanos is exploitable" - Phillies insider questions keeping 2x All-Star at $20,000,000/year with Trea Turner, J.T. Realmuto in lineup
On Friday, Philadelphia Phillies insider Corey Seidman talked about Nick Castellanos' 2024 season and whether parting ways with the right fielder may be in the team's best interest. Castellanos signed a five-year $100 million contract with the Phillies in 2022, which amounts to $20 million a season.
Castellanos did not have a horrible season by any means. He showed he can deliver in pressure situations with seven walk-off hits and is reliable in the field. Despite Castellanos being 32 years old, the Phillies may still have the opportunity to get great trade value, while targeting someone younger for the position.
During the latest episode of "Phillies Talk," Seidman explained why he thinks an upgrade at right field is in order.
"Nick Castellanos has two years left under contract, $20 million a year," Seidman said (16:06). "He's an exploitable hitter, and when you think about the Phillies' deficiencies, he kind of exemplifies them. He gets chase-happy, he becomes easy to pitch to when he's in a slump."
"You just wonder, can a team have that many aggressive hitters in the same lineup. Can you afford to have Castellanos, Turner and Realmuto as three of your for right-handed hitters?"
Nick Castellanos enters elite company with 162 starts in 2024 season
After making the starting lineup of Philadelphia's final regular season game against the Washington Nationals on Sept. 29, Nick Castellanos became only the second Phillies player in the last 42 seasons to have started every single regular season game, after Jimmy Rollins accomplished it in 2007.
Phillies skipper Rob Thomson and Nick Castellanos reportedly discussed the possibility of Castellano potentially starting every single game at the start of the campaign. Eventually, the chances of actually doing so grew over the months as he showcased a remarkable level of fitness. Thomson later said that he thought it was Castellanos' "old-school thought process" that motivated him to accomplish the feat.
Ultimately, a regular season with numerous accomplishments both individually and as a team did not materialize into the World Series triumph fans have been desperately waiting for. The Phillies faithful will hope that a well-rested and rejuvenated squad can do better in 2025.