He didn't say it in his season-ending press conference — despite a bevy of questions and chatter about the Phillies' murky outfield situation heading into 2026. But according to a report from The Athletic's Matt Gelb, Dave Dombrowski is going to be making at least one bold move to shake things up for next season:
"The Phillies are expected to either trade or release the veteran outfielder, club sources have said. Dombrowski’s reluctance to say anything about Castellanos on Thursday affirmed that stance. When asked about Castellanos, Dombrowski said he could not comment on “specific players that are on our roster under contract,” then spent the next 34 minutes doing just that." [The Athletic]
If the Phillies simply release Castellanos, 33, they'll have to eat the $20 million they are on the hook for in 2026. A trade would be ideal, but clearly if they're showing their hand like this it will be a tough task.
However, the move would make sense. Especially if the Phillies decide they want to stick with September superstar Harrison Bader, whom the Phillies acquired at the trade deadline.
An outfield with top position prospect Justin Crawford in left, Bader in center and Brandon Marsh in right sounds like it might be the right mix for 2026.
Dombrowski outright said that Max Kepler would not return and did give some praise to up and down speedster Johan Rojas, who finished the year in the minors and was then too injured to be a runner off the bench in the postseason. If Casty's days are numbered, the outfield equation becomes much clearer.
Castellanos has been streaky and has had some extremely clutch moments during his four seasons in Philadelphia. His numbers on offense weren't awful, as he slashed .260/.306/.426 over four seasons. But his shaky work in right field was enough to see his consecutive games streak end despite his good health this season. Spats with manager Rob Thomson about being a part-time player didn't help.
Last year there were rumors that were just as cut and dry claiming that third baseman Alec Bohm was leaving Philly and he wound up playing for the team every day in 2025, so take the report with a grain of salt.
But for a team that is looking to replicate the 1990s Braves' regular season dominance — and desperate to at least equal the one World Series that Atlanta won during its 14-straight playoff appearance spurt from 1991-to-2005 — solidifying the best 26-man roster and trimming the fat is a necessity.
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