It seems as if the Phillies are closing in on adding another potent bat to their lineup.
The Athletic's Jayson Stark reported Friday morning that the Phillies are in progressed talks with free-agent outfielder Nick Castellanos.
Adding Castellanos would push the Phillies over the $230 million luxury tax threshold for the first time in history.
The potential addition of the 30-year-old means the newly acquired Kyle Schwarber would likely slide into the designated hitter role while Castellanos would shoulder most of the time in left field.
Castellanos hit .309 last year with 30 homers and 100 RBIs. He posted a career-high 136 OPS+ and also was an All-Star. The nine-year veteran spent most of his career in Detroit before spending the last two years in Cincinnati. He's a career .278 hitter.
As solid as he is with the bat, Castellanos struggles a bit defensively, mainly due to poor range in the outfield. His defensive runs saved was -7 last year, according to Baseball Reference.
Castellanos already has a bit of a connection with Philadelphia. Dave Dombrowski, the Phillies president of baseball operations, was the general manager in Detroit when the Tigers selected him in the first round of the 2010 Amateur Draft.
With the addition of Schwarber earlier this week, the Phillies payroll appears to be around $217 million.
Ownership has long contended the only reason to exceed the luxury threshold is to add a final piece to a roster ready to compete for a deep postseason run.
It seems managing partner John Middleton and others in the front office believe Castellanos could be the guy to do just that.