President Dave Dombrowski’s public questioning of whether Bryce Harper can still play at an “elite” level has sent shockwaves through the Philadelphia Phillies. Harper’s .261 batting average was the worst it had been since 2019, and his .844 OPS was the worst since 2016. But Harper’s uncertain future isn’t the only problem the team has to deal with. A $100 million star’s departure seems unavoidable after a public fight with management tore the clubhouse apart.

Reports indicate that the team may either trade or release Nick Castellanos before the 2026 season, which makes it seem even more likely that he will leave. “Let’s start with the Phillies because they are a team who have been eliminated from the playoffs, which has been a recurring theme of the past few years of having really strong seasons and then not finishing the job. It seems like maybe a shakeup is coming.” Darragh McDonald of the MLBTR Podcast began.

Anthony Franco then talked about the Castellanos situation directly on the podcast, mentioning that he “had to go” no matter what else happened with the roster.

In 2025, Castellanos had the worst numbers of his career: A .250 batting average, a .294 on-base percentage, 17 home runs, and 72 RBIs. His defense was rated near the bottom of the league, and his WAR went below zero for the first time in 13 years. Then, Franco emphasized that, beyond poor performance, off-field turmoil sealed Castellanos’ fate. 

“And then you had the off-field stuff where he’s clashing with Rob Thomson multiple times and got benched at one point for saying something to him after getting taken out of a game. And then a couple of months later, very publicly blasting Thomson’s communication skills and things like that.”

Franco acknowledged that player-manager disagreements happen, but stressed the damage came from “airing it publicly like that, especially when everyone else at the Phillies, at least in the front office, is sticking behind Thomson and saying, ‘Yeah, we think he’s done a great job, and we’re certainly going to bring him back for 2026.'”

The public conflict between Castellanos and Rob Thomson brought to light bigger problems in the organization. Castellanos openly criticized his manager’s way of talking to him after being benched.

He told reporters, “I don’t really talk to Rob all that often. I play whenever he tells me to play, and I sit whenever he tells me to sit. Communication over the years has been questionable, at least in my experience.” The Phillies organization responded by giving Thomson more support and planning to sign him to a one-year extension this offseason. Meanwhile, Castellanos has one more year left on his five-year, $100 million deal.

Now, the team has to decide whether to eat some of the $20 million owed to make a trade or just let him go. Tbh, his time in Philadelphia seems to be over, no matter what.

While management tries to figure this out, the team’s best players keep playing at a high level.

Phillies shine in 2025 Silver Slugger finalists

Even though there has been a lot of drama in the offseason, the individual talent of the Philadelphia Phillies is getting a lot of attention. It was not surprising to see that two Phillies made the ballot for the National League Silver Slugger awards.

Trea Turner was nominated for shortstop, and Kyle Schwarber was nominated for designated hitter.

Under Rob Thomson’s direction, Turner completely dominated this season. He changed how he approached the plate. Instead of trying to hit home runs, he focused on getting on base, stealing bases, and scoring runs. The reward? Turner won the 2025 NL batting title with a .304 average and an .812 OPS, hitting just 15 home runs in 141 games.

He is up against shortstops like Francisco Lindor, who hit 31 home runs and had an OPS of .811, and Geraldo Perdomo, who had the highest WAR of any National League position player at 7.0.

And Schwarber’s campaign was truly historic.

The slugger hit 56 home runs, which was the most in the National League, and drove in 132 runs, which was the most in all of Major League Baseball. He came close to Ryan Howard’s franchise record of 58 home runs, which was thought to be impossible to reach. Schwarber had an amazing .928 OPS while playing designated hitter against Shohei Ohtani and Christian Yelich. He also made himself a candidate for MVP before free agency.

Turner and Schwarber are both trying to win their second Silver Slugger Award. In 2022, Turner won as a shortstop for the Dodgers, and Schwarber won as an outfielder. Now, on November 6, the winners will be announced. What do you speculate?