MLB Insider Shares Divisive Opinion on Possible Nick Castellanos Trade

Could the Philadelphia Phillies make a move to trade Nick Castellanos at this year's MLB trade deadline?

. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies are the best team in MLB and are currently on a historic pace, a pace not seen by another Phillies squad since 1892.

Of course there is always room for improvement and one area they may look to upgrade is right field, the position that Nick Castellanos currently occupies.

It will come as no surprise to Philadelphia fans that there is some chatter surrounding the potential trade of Castellanos.

Of course, there are a few issues. First is his five-year, $100 million contract that runs through the 2026 MLB season and he age-34 season.

The next is his performances both this year and last. In 2024, Castellanos is slashing just .206/.278/.312 with five home runs, a far cry from his time with the Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds in which he became known as an All-Star slugger.

So, can the Phillies move Castellanos and how much will cost them? One reader of The Athletic asked MLB insider Jim Bowden that exact question and here was what he said.

"Castellanos makes $20 million per year through the 2026 season and is not tradable at that price point without paying at least 50 percent to 70 percent of his remaining salary," writes Bowden. "However, at age 32, he should be able to perform much better in the second half and still end up with 20 home runs and 70 RBIs by the end of the season. But I would prepare for him to finish his career as a Phillie."

It's hard to disagree with Bowden's rationale. Castellanos looks like a very overpaid player at this point in his career and there has not been any marked improvement in his performance over the course of the last two seasons.

Moving Castellanos will seem almost impossible. Instead, the Phillies may very well have to ride out his contract and hope that he can return to some type of form that resembles the player he used to be.