Jul 21, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos (8) celebrates in the dugout after scoring a run during the fourth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
As the trade deadline draws ever closer, the rumor mill starts churning ever-faster.
The Phillies are involved in a lot of them. Mostly linking them to players that they would like to acquire to make the team better.
Now there's one that would have them selling a player off the major league roster.
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post (subscription required) the Kansas City Royals might be interested in acquiring Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos, if he were made available.
The #Royals might consider #Phillies OF Nick Castellanos if Available.
Per @JonHeyman pic.twitter.com/hgTjYbt2v8
— Philly Archive (@PhillyArchive) July 25, 2025
Castellanos' name has cropped up in trade rumors many times, during his Phillies tenure, but has always stayed with the team because his contract is a bit prohibitive, as he signed a five-year, $100 million contract prior to the 2022 season.
Castellanos, 33, has one year remaining on that deal, but hasn't quite lived up to it's value.
He's been a consistently decent hitter, although below his contractual value, and is doing so again this season, with a slash line of .269/.310/.432 for a .742 OPS.
Castellanos is second on the Phillies in hits (104) and RBIs (55), is third in home runs (13) and is tied for the team lead in doubles (22).
However, Castellanos grades out quite poorly on defense by measurable metrics.
According to Baseball Savant, Castellanos has a minus-11 fielding run value, the worst in the majors. His minus-10 outs above average is also at the bottom of the list among major leaguers.
If the Phillies were to get creative and move off of Castellanos, they would be reshaping their outfield considerably. There would have to be a corresponding outfield move, if that were to happen.
Conceivably, the Phillies could trade Castellanos to Kansas City and open up some salary space to bring in another player with term. They could then call up Justin Crawford and reconfigure their outfield alignment.
Does that make them better offensively? Probably not. Could it make them better defensively? Absolutely.
But is it realistic? The Phillies lack any consistent production from the right side of the plate. Castellanos is traditionally one of the guys who gets it done at a clip that is above average, albeit slightly above average (His OPS+ is 102).
If you trade away Castellanos, you not only need to improve your outfield, but at the very least, also would need to replace his production. That's an additional strain that's not really needed on a team with other flaws.
But, it could make sense if, for example, you make a trade for any of the outfielders the Phillies have been linked to and call up Justin Crawford.
For kicks and giggles, lets say the Phillies trade for Taylor Ward, call up Crawford and move Brandon Marsh to right field while trading Castellanos for a reliever. Is that a better outfield?
Maybe slightly, but is it enough of an offensive upgrade?
Probably not.
It's why it's more unlikely that Castellanos is traded now, at the deadline - although crazier things have happened. But, is it possible he gets moved with one year remaining on his contract in the offseason to clear up some salary space?
These Nick Castellanos to the Royals rumors don't make sense...
But it 100% could happen after the season if this team needs a reset
A lot has to happen before then, but it's definitely something that makes more sense in November or December than it does in July.
