4 Phillies on Thin Ice Heading Into Spring Training
Philadelphia Phillies have largely been silent this offseason but there are a few players who may not be safe heading into the season.
By Cem Yolbulan
After two consecutive deep postseason runs, the Philadelphia Phillies are looking for ways to make it back to the World Series. They didn't have any major moves they needed to make so it has largely been a quiet offseason in Philadelphia.
They tried to sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto like everyone else but failed. Otherwise, they kept their powder dry except for extending the contract of their own players, the most surprising being Aaron Nola.
That doesn't mean, however, that we will not see any moves before the season. There are plenty of Phillies who have disappointed recently that could not make the opening-day roster. Here are a few candidates that fit the bill.
1. Nick Castellanos
The star slugger signed a five-year, $100 million contract with Philadelphia in 2022, and his tenure so far has been largely inconsistent. After having another postseason where he struggled to hit the ball, Castellanos is a prime trade candidate for the Phillies. In both of his playoffs with the Phillies, he had more strikeouts than hits, going hitless in his last 23 at-bats.
Even though it doesn't look like it's part of the plan for now, it behooves the Phillies to move Bryce Harper to his natural position as a right fielder eventually, which would render Castellanos superfluous.
Even if not, the Phillies could certainly find a better use for the $20 million per year they owe Castellanos. Whether the 31-year-old will have any interest around the league in a potential trade is a different question.