Pirates Predicted to Trade for Phillies Outfielder
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have a solid outfield heading into next season, but one that can always use additions.
The Pirates have Oneil Cruz in center field and Bryan Reynolds in right field, both players who are looking for bounce back seasons in 2026.
Pittsburgh also landed two outfielders in trades in Jake Mangum from the Tampa Bay Rays and prospect Jhostynxon García from the Boston Red Sox.
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said recently that they could make another outfield addition, with one MLB insider giving out an interesting name.
Pirates Predicted to Land Phillies Outfielder in Trade
Jesse Rogers of ESPN made the "bold prediction" that the Pirates will add Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos.
The Pirates have reportedly shown trade interest in Castellanos, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, so this isn't a prediction out of nowhere.
One of the biggest obstacles for the Phillies moving Castellanos is his $20 million salary for 2026, the final year of his five-year, $100 million he signed ahead of the 2022 season.
Rogers thinks that the Pirates could use Castellanos' bat and that the Phillies should take up to 75% of his contract, with hardly anyone coming back in return.
"The Pirates still need hitting, right? And Castellanos still needs a new home," Rogers wrote. "How about an in-state swap with the big-spending Phillies picking up most of the contract -- say $15 million of the $20 million owed to Castellanos in 2026.
"The Pirates don't even have to send anyone back in the deal. Just give them his money and watch Castellanos light up PNC Park, proving all the naysayers wrong."
Should the Pirates Trade for Castellanos?
The Pirates need offense next season, after they hit the least home runs (117), runs scored (583) and RBI (561), while posting the worst slugging percentage (.350) and OPS (.650) in baseball.
Castellanos turns 35 years old next season and is coming off a decent 2025 campaign where he slashed .250/.294/.400 for an OPS of .694 in 147 games, with 137 hits, 27 doubles, 17 home runs, 72 RBI and 32 walks to 144 strikeouts.
Pittsburgh has added to their lineup, with the likes of second baseman Brandon Lowe from a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays and free agent Ryan O'Hearn, both left-handed power bats.
Castellanos is a right-handed power bat, a need for a Pirates lineup that leans heavily left-handed.
That $20 million contract poises issues for the Phillies, but also the Pirates, who wouldn't want to take on the full salary.
Rogers' prediction would make sense for the Pirates if the Phillies paid off most of his salary and didn't ask for many or any prospects back, as that contract would be a great deal of money added to their payroll.
Pittsburgh's current highest-paid player for next season is right-handed starting pitcher Mitch Keller at $16.9 million. Their highest-paid position player is Reynolds at $14.25 million.
Castellanos would give the Pirates a corner outfielder, as he has featured at right field for the past eight seasons, starting there in 2018.
The Pirates need a left fielder, but could also move Reynolds to left field, where he started in 2023 and 2024, before taking over in right field last season.
While Castellanos is a right fielder, he was one of the worst defensive players at his position in 2025.
Castellanos ranked tied for the least runs prevented, -11, and ranked tied for the worst outs above average (OAA) at -12, while also having the worst defensive runs saved of any qualified right fielder, at -11.
Mangum is the likely left fielder for the Pirates, if he has a solid showing in Spring Training, starting 46 of 63 games played there as a rookie in 2025.
The Pirates surely need offense for next season, but adding a $20 million player who struggles defensively and then giving up talent on top of that makes it a less than favorable addition.
Rogers' prediction is the only way that it remotely makes sense for the Pirates to trade for Castellanos, otherwise, they should look elsewhere.
What the Pirates Get in Nick Castellanos
Castellanos is a 13-year veteran and has played in almost 1,700 games since making his debut in 2013.
He has slashed .272/.321/.464 for an OPS of .785 in 1,688 games, with 1,742 hits, 399 doubles, 43 triples, 250 home runs, 920 RBI and 432 walks to 1,617 strikeouts.
Castellanos has had some great seasons from the plate in his career, such as slashing .309/.362/.576 for an OPS of .938 in 138 games with the Cincinnati Reds in 2021, blasting a career-high 34 home runs, earning him a Silver Slugger Award and his first All-Star nod.
He also earned an All-Star nod with the Phillies in 2023, slashing .272/.311/.476 for an OPS of .787, with 29 home runs and a career-high 106 RBI.
Castellanos has hit double-digit home runs in every year of his career outside of the 11 games he played in 2013, with six seasons above 20 home runs.
He has also hit more than 50 RBI in every season outside of the 60-game 2020 season, including seven seasons above 70 RBI and two seasons over 100 RBI.
Castellanos also has postseason experience, with six seasons in the playoffs and 43 total games played.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.