MLB Rumors: Philadelphia Phillies in serious pursuit of All-Star right fielder, could it help build on a promising 2021 season?
The Philadelphia Phillies are pushing hard to sign one of the top remaining free agents in the MLB, Nick Castellanos. The superstar right fielder is coming off the best season of his career, receiving his first All-Star selection after hitting a career-high 34 home runs and an impressive .309 batting average.
The storied franchise of the Philadelphia Phillies hasn't made the playoffs since 2012. Castellanos could be the signing to take them back to the postseason. Nick Castellanos is one of the most coveted players available right now, and while the Phillies will face stiff competition for his services, convincing him to join Bryce Harper would make a huge difference for the team's potential this season.
Jayson Stark reported the Phillies' heavy interest in the right fielder via a tweet.
#Phillies in serious pursuit of Nick Castellanos, sources tell @TheAthleticMLB
Castellanos would put Phillies well over tax threshold. But they appear to view him as a big enough difference maker to justify that
Castellanos could push Kyle Schwarber to DH
@jonmorosi was on it
"#Phillies in serious pursuit of Nick Castellanos, sources tell @TheAthleticMLB. Castellanos would put Phillies well over tax threshold. But they appear to view him as a big enough difference maker to justify that" -@Jaysonst
After coming in second place in the National League East and missing the playoffs in 2021, it's a great call by the Philadelphia Phillies to seek improvement and be willing to spend the big bucks.
How much would Nick Castellanos mean to the Philadelphia Phillies?
The Philadelphia Phillies have been underperforming their expectations for the better part of a decade. If they can add Castellanos, they might finally become a force to be reckoned with. The Phillies are already coming into 2022 with the reigning MVP Bryce Harper and the recent signing of 2021 All-Star Kyle Schwarber. They are a team on the rise in 2022.
While Nick Castellanos brings tremendous offensive upside with him, he would bring a myriad of defensive questions. The Phillies lineup would have an abundance of outfielders. They would need to shuffle the roster to get all their weapons into the lineup every game.
Jayson Stark highlighted the defensive challenges this potential signing would create for the Philadelphia Phillies in a tweet.
Signing Castellanos would create more defensive issues for #Phillies. But they're too far down that rabbit hole already
This would give Joe Girardi these options:
Castellanos at DH/LF/RF/3B
Schwarber at LF/DH
Hoskins at 1B/DH
Bohm at 3B/1B/DH
Castellanos to RF when Harper DHs
"Signing Castellanos would create more defensive issues for #Phillies. But they're too far down that rabbit hole already" -@Jayonst
Castellanos is a tremendous player and has been a top performer for every team in his career. There’s no reason to expect that to change in 2022. While the Phillies are now in hot pursuit of the All-Star outfielder, he has no lack of options. The chance to find postseason success has to be on his mind as he makes his decision.