Cardinals Should Pass on Phillies All-Star Amid Off-Field Controversy

Not worth the trouble.

Apr 11, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm (28) picks up his hat after chasing down a fly ball against the St. Louis Cardinals during the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals have been in search of a right-handed outfield bat to complete their offseason after making several trades. Their lineup is very left-handed heavy and could use a right-handed bat to balance things out.

One became available on Thursday. The Philadelphia Phillies instructed former All-Star Nick Castellanos not to report to spring training. Later, he was released by the Phillies and now is looking for a new team.

While he might help the Cardinals out and be what they need in terms of a player, they should stay far away from him and allow another team to pick him up.

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Cardinals must avoid Nick Castellanos

Oct 9, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos (8) reacts after striking out in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game four of the NLDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

According to Castellanos himself, there was a reason why he was benched during a series against the Miami Marlins last June.

"After being taken out of a close ball game in front of my friends and family, I brought a Presidente (beer) into the dugout. I then sat right next to Rob and let him know that too much slack in some areas and too tight of restrictions in others are not conducive to us winning," Castellanos said in a handwritten letter.

He was not in the lineup the following game, and while the Phillies still managed to win the National League East, the damage was already done between them and Castellanos. So, there could be some clubhouse distractions if Castellanos was brought to St. Louis.

The Cardinals are rebuilding, but they need to focus on their youth, and Castellanos isn't their best option. He might prefer to play on a contending team, which the Cardinals are not. They also can't promise him a chance to play every day, as he might take at bats away from their younger players.

The Cardinals do need to add somebody, but going after Castellanos would not be the right approach. They need more of a platoon piece that can play against left-handed pitching, and for that, they could turn to options like Starling Marte, Randal Grichuk and Tommy Pham.

But while Castellanos might make the Cardinals a better team, he might prove to be nothing more than a distraction and cause some clubhouse problems. We'll see where he ends up, but fans shouldn't expect him to land in St. Louis.

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