Phillies Reportedly Put Fan Favorite on the Trade Block
It's been over a week since the Texas Rangers won the World Series, but that doesn't mean that Philadelphia Phillies fans are any happier with how the campaign ended. After all, the Phillies went from being two games away from winning a title in 2022 to losing to the 84-win Arizona Diamondbacks in this year's NLCS.
It's up to general manager Sam Fuld to get the Phillies back on track to being World Series contenders in 2024. Interestingly enough, it's being reported that one of Fuld's first moves of the offseason could be moving on from a Philadelphia fan favorite.
GM Meetings Insider: Will Phillies trade Castellanos? Plus items on Mark Canha, the Royals, and Ben Cherington on Craig Breslow’s new role https://t.co/cCnIAcztdm
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) November 9, 2023
Phillies Rumors: Castellanos on the Trade Block?
MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reports that "the Phillies are open to the idea of trading Nick Castellanos." The veteran outfielder's "disappointing performance in the NLCS" is one of the top reasons behind a potential deal.
The 2023 campaign was a mixed one for the 31-year-old. After smashing 29 home runs with 106 RBIs during the regular season, Castellanos played well to start the postseason, tallying four HRs with 5 RBIs while batting .391 in the Wild Card round and Division Series.
Unfortunately, the former 2010 first-rounder couldn't bring that same consistency to the NLCS. He finished the seven-game series against the D-backs with a team-worst 11 strikeouts, only registering one hit while slashing .042/.111/.167 across 24 at-bats.
Considering how the Phillies only lost Game 7 by two runs, it isn't farfetched to think they would've been in the World Series had Castellanos showed up to play.
If Castellanos is shipped out, it'll be interesting to see what Philadelphia does in right field. Feinsand indicates that if the Phillies don't want to put Bryce Harper back in the outfield, they could potentially go after free agents like Teoscar Hernandez or Jorge Soler.
After all, the Phillies need players who'll show up, regardless of how big the stage is.
The two-time MLB All-Star is signed through 2026 at $20 million per season. While that might be a steep price tag based on his NLCS showing, there'll be a few teams out there willing to take a risk for someone who has two 30 HR/100 RBI seasons in the last three years.
Even without a Castellanos deal, things do look promising for Philadelphia next year. The Phils currently hold the fifth-best odds to win the 2024 World Series, only putting them behind the Atlanta Braves and LA Dodgers as far as NL clubs are concerned.
It's going to be a long offseason of swirling rumors, but Phillies fans who want to keep the action going by betting on actual games need to take advantage of Caesars Sportsbook's huge $1,000 offer. Just sign up through the exclusive Section 215 link below and bet at least $10 on any Philly sports team (with the Eagles on bye the 76ers and Flyers are still great choices) to unlock the bonus, which will pay out equal to the amount you wagered if your first bet doesn't win! So even if you're not as familiar with the NBA or NHL as you are the MLB, you don't need to sweat that first bet. Sign up for Caesars Sportsbook to unlock your $1,000 now!
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