Rob Thomson pulled Nick Castellanos for a defensive substitution in June against the Marlins. That was followed by an “inappropriate comment” from the $100M slugger, leading him to get benched for the next game. Since then, their relationship has hit rock bottom, which seems to be unfixable right now.

In 2022, Nick Castellanos signed a five-year deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. But his last year might not be completed in a Philly uniform. Plus, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer painted a stark picture of Castellanos’s declining value.

Lauber pointed out that he “lost his everyday job in August” and posted the “lowest WAR of any player in baseball this year (minus-0.6, according to Fangraphs).” The numbers that support Lauber’s assessment show a worrying trend over the past three years.

Castellanos’s OPS went down from .788 in 2023 to .742 in 2024, and then it fell to .694 in 2025.

His power output followed the same pattern.

It went from 29 home runs to 23, then 17. His slugging percentage dropped from .476 to .431 to .400, and his bat speed readings told an equally troubling story: 72.4 mph in 2023, 71.9 mph in 2024, and 70.5 mph in 2025. These changes weren’t small.

They showed a player getting older quickly and having issues maintaining the offensive production that made his big contract worth it.

While Lauber mentioned that Castellanos “said he played through a left knee injury in the second half,” the damage to his standing had already been done.

The Phillies now face an uncomfortable financial reality.

“Whether the Phillies trade or release Castellanos, they will almost certainly have to pay down his $20 million salary.” Philadelphia seems ready to take big financial losses just to move on without him because he is going to turn 34 next season, and his performance has been getting worse.

But the Castellanos situation is only one part of the bigger offseason puzzle in the Philadelphia Phillies.

Phillies eye Alex Bregman as answer to third base struggles

Dave Dombrowski knows that he needs to take bold action after another painful NLDS exit. Kyle Schwarber, JT Realmuto, and Ranger Suarez will all get a lot of attention, but one position needs to be fixed right away. Third base.

Alec Bohm hasn’t been able to give Philadelphia the production it needs, and with free agency coming up, the Phillies have a great chance to start over at this position.

Jeff Passan of ESPN has strongly urged the Phillies to get rid of Bohm. His reasoning is based on what Philadelphia needs.

“They need an impact bat for the middle of the lineup and an impact person to lead the next generation.” Passan’s solution is to sign Alex Bregman, a three-time All-Star. Bohm’s trade rumors should make a deal possible, since teams would see him as a one-year rental who can play first or third base.

Bregman’s play with the Red Sox in 2025 can testify to his fit as a Philly.

He had a .273 batting average, a .821 on-base percentage, and 3.5 bWAR in 114 games. Bohm’s numbers from his 120-game season tell a different story: .287 average, .741 OPS, and 1.5 bWAR.

Philadelphia has always had trouble at the cleanup spot, so Bregman is a good answer to a problem that keeps coming up.

The Phillies have been looking for a championship-caliber lineup, and a top four of Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, and Bregman would make that. For Dombrowski, signing Bregman could be the key move that makes Philadelphia a real contender coming postseason.