Despite a rough end to the season for the Philadelphia Phillies, they still have one of the more powerful lineups in baseball when firing on all cylinders. Part-time outfielder and designated hitter Nick Castellanos can be a useful power threat in that lineup, though the advanced metrics don't necessarily back him up.
Castellanos has accumulated just over 1.4 fWAR in the last three seasons combined. He brings little-to-no value defensively, and strikes out A LOT. Despite all of this, Castellanos is signed to a player-friendly contract for the next two years. He is signed to a five-year, $100 million deal with no opt outs. If the Phillies were to trade Castellanos, they'd either have to pay off the majority of his contract or pair a prospect with him for a deal to a rebuilding team.
Suffice to say, Castellanos still brings enough value at the dish, so he isn't going anywhere unless a team overpays for the 32-year-old, which we wouldn't recommend. This season, Castellanos slashed .254/.311/.432 with 23 home runs. He had a .742 OPS and .80 bWAR. Yet, per his wife, Castellanos has opted for a change in representation.
According to his wife, Jess, Nick Castellanos has dropped Scott Boras. pic.twitter.com/vBLVE2f8F2
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) October 16, 2024
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Why would Nick Castellanos fire Scott Boras?
At the end of the day, Castellanos decision doesn't matter all that much to Boras. Castellanos is not one of Boras's high-profile clients, and he'll still get paid for his portion of the deal he negotiated. It's a win-win.
Perhaps Castellanos wants more attention from a smaller agency, or he's preparing for a change in scenery down the road. I'm just theorizing over here. However, the fact that Castellanos looked in the mirror of what I'm sure is a very expensive house and thought 'my agent isn't cutting it' despite all the evidence to the contrary is...hilarious.
I'm never one to defend Boras. He's the primary reason free agency was a complete slog last winter. Boras screwed over his own players, in particular Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery, the latter of whom cut him off entirely. Snell and Monty signed in the early spring, which hurt their own offseason development. Snell eventually recovered to have an outstanding second half, while Montgomery suffered all season. Both were acting on the advice of Boras.
Castellanos is not worth $20 million per season, and the super-agent deserves credit for negotiating on behalf of his client. Baseball is a tough business.