💥 BREAKING NEWS: Two unexpected teams are suddenly emerging as potential Phillies trade partners eager to take on Nick Castellanos ⚡.DD
Maybe it will be possible after all.
The Philadelphia Phillies have an outfield problem that has persisted for far too long, and this offseason may finally be the chance to shift things around. Current right fielder Nick Castellanos is No. 1 on that list of needed changes.
Castellanos signed a five-year, $100 million deal with the Phillies ahead of the 2022 season. Next season is the final year with him being owed the remaining $20 million. The Phillies are looking to shop him, and two potential suitors have just emerged: the Pittsburgh Pirates and Miami Marlins.
Pirates and Marlins could take on Nick Castellanos’ salary, giving Phillies more flexibility
The outlook when Castellanos came to Philadelphia was initially very positive. He was coming off a 34-home run, .309-batting average year in 2021, but he has failed to repeat that production. In four years with the Phillies, Castellanos has a .260 batting average and has averaged just 22 home runs per season.
According to Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich of The Athletic, both the Pirates and Marlins are looking to spend this winter (subscription required). They’re not the typical names that come up of clubs who typically fish for big free agents, but this offseason presents more motivation than ever before for both teams.
The New York Post’s Jon Heyman doubled down on the idea of the Marlins and Pirates being possible suitors for Castellanos (subscription required).
“The Marlins, like the Pirates, are threatening to spend on offense following their vastly improved 2025 showing,” Heyman notes. “Castellanos could be a consideration for either the Pirates or Marlins.”
The current collective bargaining agreement doesn’t have a salary floor or cap requirements, but both Pittsburgh and Miami are in danger of having a potential grievance filed against them by MLB for having too low of a payroll.
Either team taking on all or some of the $20 million of Castellanos’ final year under contract would show the league they’re willing to spend. It also proves to their fans that they’re willing to invest to put a better product on the field. If the Marlins or Pirates want to take on his contract, they would help themselves out tremendously by avoiding any potential punishment.
To avoid a grievance, a team’s final luxury tax payroll must be 150 percent of what their local revenue sharing take is for a season. The Marlins for 2025 are expected to finish around just $85 million. Their revenue is currently estimated to be around $70 million. The Pirates, on the other hand, are expected to clear the CBA requirement with their 2025 payroll coming in just over $105 million.
Outside just the requirements by the league, both the Pirates and Marlins are motivated to start winning with some names to build around for both franchises. They’ve checked in a number of free agents, and a trade of this caliber would be the perfect fit for them, and so the Phillies could find another candidate of their own for right field in 2026.
