The Phillies don't want Nick Castellanos. Most contenders want nothing to do with Castellanos' contract. Even pretending teams, which could in theory acquire Castellanos and some prospect capital in return to take on his salary, have asked too much in return. So, where should the Phillies turn?
Enter the Pittsburgh Pirates, a team in desperate need of a lineup upgrade. The Pirates have the pitching needed to make a run in the NL Central, especially after the Cubs let Kyle Tucker walk and the Brewers traded Freddy Peralta. What they don't have is a sound lineup, and Castellanos could add to that while proving to Pirates fans that Bob Nutting is willing to spend for even a minor upgrade.
Why the Pirates would take on Nick Castellanos contract
There are a couple of ways this trade could feasibly happen. The first is simple, and it involves the Pirates acquiring Castellanos, some salary filler and prospect capital for a prospect lottery ticket. The other is much bigger, and would mean Pittsburgh must give up something of value. We'll walk through how each of these could go down.
Here is the first, and by all accounts easier, path to a Castellanos trade.
There you have it! Easy and clean. The Pirates acquire Castellanos, who would still have $20 million left on his contract. The Phillies agree to pay half that deal, and in return they get Pittsburgh's No. 23 overall prospect in 21-year-old Jhonny Severino. Everyone wins!
As much as the Phillies want to trade Castellanos, he's a good bounce-back candidate IF he were allowed to only focus on the plate. In Pittsburgh, he'd be a DH only, and would immediately become one of the more productive hitters in their lineup. Yes, it's that bleak.
Season | OPS |
|---|---|
2021 | .939 |
2022 | .694 |
2023 | .788 |
2024 | .742 |
2025 | .694 |
Let's get weird with a Nick Castellanos trade
Oh, yes. The price for controllable starting pitching has skyrocketed this winter, which means acquiring Keller AND getting rid of Castellanos in the same trade (plus not including any money) would mean adding in a top prospect like Justin Crawford. There's a good chance Crawford starts in the Phillies outfield out of spring training, assuming he shows enough down in Florida.
I'd be surprised if the Phillies accepted this trade. Yes, their starting rotation could use some debt, and they really want to get rid of Castellanos. At the same time, though, they'd see a lot of Crawford, as Pittsburgh is their in-state rival. If he turns into an All-Star, Dave Dombrowski would never hear the end of it.
The Pirates have a surplus of starting pitching depth. Thus, they'd be willing to talk Keller. Odds are, though, these are two separate trades combined into one unthinkable mistake from the Phillies perspective.
Are the Phillies really that desperate to part with Castellanos?
The short answer here is a definitive yes. The Phillies have been trying to trade Castellanos for the better part of two seasons. They have been unable to find a suitor. In Pittsburgh, the Phils might have their best chance yet to get rid of a member of their veteran core.
If the Phillies can make such a trade before spring training – whether it be to the Pirates or another team – they could take another swing in MLB free agency. Thus far, the Phillies offseason has consisted of losing Ranger Suarez and watching Bo Bichette sign with the Mets. Philly pivoted to re-sign JT Realmuto, but it's inarguable they are a worse team now than they were last October. Reminder: That team lost in the NLDS to the Dodgers.
Castellanos is in a downward spiral. Now 33, he last made an All-Star team in 2023 and his OPS has dropped in each of the last two seasons. In 2025, it was under .700, and his defense isn't nearly productive enough to back that up.