They’re trying to control the timing.
Position players are scheduled for their first official workout Monday in Clearwater. That date isn’t random anymore. It’s a deadline — self-imposed, publicly acknowledged and, if you listen closely enough, practically underlined in bold ink by the president of baseball operations.
Nick Castellanos is not supposed to walk into that clubhouse as part of the 2026 Phillies.
And if he does, it will only be because the last resort — the one they are clearly prepared to use — hasn’t yet been executed.
Dave Dombrowski made that plain this week without ever saying the word “release.”
“That’s our focus prior to the start of spring training,” Dombrowski said. “We’re doing everything we can to make a move by that time period. I’ll leave it at that right now.”
Front offices don’t talk like that unless they’ve already made peace with the uncomfortable alternative.
Because here’s what everyone in the sport understands: the Phillies don’t have leverage. Castellanos is entering the final season of a five-year, $100 million deal and is owed $20 million in 2026. He’s 34 next month. He’s coming off a 2025 season in which he hit .250 with 17 home runs and a .694 OPS across 147 games — durable, yes, but below league average in overall production.
He was worth negative WAR by advanced metrics last season. His defensive metrics in right field were again among the lowest in the league. And the Phillies already signed his replacement, inking Adolis GarcÃa to a one-year deal to take over as the everyday right fielder.
The separation has already happened in practice.
The only thing left is paperwork.
That’s why the idea of Castellanos simply reporting to camp and competing for a role doesn’t pass the smell test. There isn’t a role. Not one that makes sense for a team with World Series expectations. Not one that avoids daily questions about last year’s benching, about public criticism of Rob Thomson’s communication, about whether a veteran on an expiring contract is buying in or counting down.
The Phillies extended Thomson this winter. They made their managerial commitment clear. They upgraded the position Castellanos once occupied. They have Kyle Schwarber occupying the designated hitter lane. There isn’t a clean fit.
And contenders don’t let awkwardness linger in the middle of their clubhouse if they can help it.
So what’s left?
A trade would be preferable — if only because it shifts a portion of the $20 million obligation elsewhere. But every team in baseball knows the Phillies’ timeline. Every team knows that if Philadelphia is prepared to release Castellanos, it can simply wait, sign him for the league minimum, and let the Phillies eat almost all of the contract.
Which is why this feels less like a negotiation and more like a countdown.
The Phillies would rather save a few million dollars.
But they would rather avoid an unnecessary distraction even more.
And that’s the real focal point here. This isn’t about squeezing value from a declining asset. It’s about clearing the runway before camp begins. It’s about making sure when position players jog onto the field Monday, there’s no side conversation dominating the room.
If a trade materializes before then, it will be because someone blinked.
If it doesn’t, the Phillies appear prepared to do the cleaner, colder thing: release him, absorb the financial hit, and move forward with the roster they’ve already constructed.
In other words, this is no longer about whether Nick Castellanos fits the Phillies.
It’s about whether the Phillies are willing to pay to make sure he doesn’t.
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