For this Phillies’ $100 million star, subtlety has never been a strong suit. Just a fortnight ago, manager Rob Thomson benched him in a game against the Marlins for making an offensive comment, emphasizing that he crossed a line.

Now, two weeks later, on July 4, the same outfielder was involved in a heated exchange with the Phillies supporters during a game against the Cincinnati Reds. He was seen near the dugout with his teammate Trea Turner, as an intense back-and-forth argument with the fans went on.

For those of you who haven’t guessed yet, we are talking about Nick Castellanos

The Phillies secured a 3-0 lead right against the Reds after the first inning. But Cincinnati wasted no time in overcoming that lead. And afterwards, they didn’t slow down, handing a deflating 9-6 defeat to the Phillies.

Given the Phillies’ recent stretch, another loss wasn’t surprising. However, the highlight of the game interestingly came by the end of the evening, as Castellanos got into an argument with the fans. However, he didn’t receive any backlash this time and there’s a reason. An attendee who witnessed the dispute firsthand revealed what exactly happened.

An intoxicated fan began yelling at Bryson Stott furiously. Simply because he made the final out. Well, it triggered Castellanos and he decided to stand up for his teammate. His intense exchange came from a place of protecting Stott. However, it came out on the camera as if he was lashing out at the Phillies supporters, which wasn’t the case.

This narrative actually stemmed from the history of tensions between Phillies nation and the players. Back in 2019, Sean Rodriguez drew scrutiny after he called Phillies supporters “entitled” after a walk-off win. Rodriguez was booed for a long time after saying that. In fact, he later had to make a media appearance to publicly clarify his statement. “I wasn’t trying to insult anybody with what I said,” he said. However, that’s history now.

As far as the Friday’s incident is concerned, the Phillies haven’t officially said anything yet. But, the word on Castellanos’ trade is growing loud. Not because of this incident, of course!

Will the Phillies trade Nick Castellanos?

If the Phillies get the chance, they will trade Castellanos! Well, he is a good player, hitting with a .292 batting average with 10 home runs and a 111 OPS+ this season. However, the fact that he still has $20 million per year on his contract through next year is a bit concerning.

Plus, the front office doesn’t seem to think he is the same player that he was with the Cincinnati Reds. Even the MLB insider Jim Bowden revealed recently that many GMs across the league believe it’s highly likely the Phillies will trade Castellanos. “He could get moved if Philadelphia can find a better right-field option,” Bowden wrote.

Let’s not forget that Castellanos is a veteran. Finding a fitting package in return isn’t going to be easy. It’s all up to Dave Dombrowski now. Maybe a contending team would like to send some bullpen arms. We will have to see what really materializes at the end.

Who do you think is the best suitor for Nick Castellanos?

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