Philadelphia Phillies Face Challenges This Offseason With Outfield Contract Woes

The Philadelphia Phillies have one of the worst contracts in baseball on their payroll.

Oct 8, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos (8) hits an RBI single in the eighth inning against the New York Mets during game three of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citi Field. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies are a team looking to shake things up this winter.

Despite their regular season win total improving in six consecutive years, they haven’t found the kind of postseason success they believe they are capable of having.

As a result, the front office is leaving no stone unturned when it comes to evaluating the roster and pinpointing where upgrades can be made.

A lot of the focus thus far has been on the pitching staff, where some holes exist.

Two of the team’s top relievers, Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez, are free agents. There is a void in the starting rotation as well, as the No. 5 spot was a disaster in 2024, occupied the most by Taijuan Walker.

While Dave Dombrowski has never been shy about chasing star free agents, and ownership isn’t afraid to pay big bucks, there are limitations for teams.

With their payroll projected to be on the rise, adding high-priced players will be a challenge.

Part of the reason they are handcuffed to a degree is some massive contracts that are already in place.

One of them belongs to starting right fielder Nick Castellanos.

He came in at No. 10 on the worst contract list put together by Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic.

While there have certainly been some big moments by the slugging outfielder, the five-year, $100 million contract he signed has become a bit of a burden for the franchise.

In his final season with the Cincinnati Reds in 2021 he finished 12th in the MVP voting and won the Silver Slugger Award that he parlayed that into his big contract with the Phillies.

But, his lack of impact as a defender and the decline of his numbers at the plate make him a worthy addition to Stavenhagen’s list.

“Despite being part of thrilling playoff runs, the Phillies have yet to win it all with Castellanos aboard. And his tenure has ultimately not been worth near his salary. Castellanos has been worth only 1.4 fWAR over the past three seasons. His first year was a struggle. His 29 homers in 2023 seemed like a step in the right direction. But even when the power shows up, Castellanos has remained free-swinging and prone to severe slumps. Despite playing 162 games in 2023, Castellanos was worth 0.4 fWAR. His 105 wRC+ was only a tick above league average. Over the past three years, his minus-28 defensive runs saved is the worst total among all MLB outfielders.”

Finding a taker for him on the trade market would be difficult, as he is likely best served as a designated hitter.

It makes sense why Philadelphia would include him in a shake up if the opportunity presented itself, as they already have shaky fielders who take up most of the at-bats as designated hitters.

But how many teams are going to line up to acquire someone with two years and $40 million remaining on their contract who won’t help in the field and there are concerns of decline at the plate?

The best the Phillies could do at this point is a swap for another team’s underwhelming contract, potentially at a position of need, such as for a pitcher.