The Philadelphia Phillies made another move on Monday. Having already signed Kyle Schwarber, the Phils added to their slug capacity by signing outfielder Adolis García to a one-year, $10 million deal, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Almost instantly after the García signing went public, fans and pundits alike started asserting that the Phillies are now definitely going to move on from outfielder Nick Castellanos, despite Castellanos being under contract for one more year at $20 million.
Boston Red Sox fans shouldn’t rule out Castellanos as a potential trade target later in the offseason, in the event that Boston surprisingly fails to re-sign Alex Bregman and also fails to bring in backup plan guys like Eugenio Suárez, Munetaka Murakami, or Kazuma Okamoto after missing out on Bregman.
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Castellanos is a proven righty bat that would play well at Fenway Park. He’s capable of playing third base (having done so earlier in his career), as well as corner outfield positions and DH.
While his 2026 salary is steep, the fact that he’s expiring after next season ultimately provides his team with cap flexibility. This isn’t a guy that the Red Sox would sign before addressing more important needs, but don’t rule it out as a late offseason acquisition if their third base situation still isn’t resolved by then.
Castellanas has played in a ton of big games, and his personality sort of fits with the “Cowboy Up” ethic woven into the Red Sox franchise, even if things are a tad different in the modern era under Alex Cora.
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He wasn’t tremendous in 2025 — .250 with 17 home runs and 72 RBI — but Castellanos has been durable, appearing in 155.33 games per season over the past three years, including a 162-game season in 2024. Castellanos was an All-Star in 2023 and finished No. 23 in National League MVP voting that year.
Across 13 MLB seasons, Castellanos has compiled a .272 average, 250 homers, and 920 RBI in 1,688 games. Debuting with Detroit in 2013 after a 2010 draft selection, he progressed from third base to outfield, earning an All-Star nod in 2018 and a Silver Slugger in 2019 during his Cincinnati Reds stint that peaked with a .309 batting average in 2021.
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Could Boston be the next stop for the 33-year-old? The Red Sox were reportedly turned off by Pete Alonso’s age (in terms of a long-term deal), but Castellanos would only be a one-year rental situation. It’s something to think about as a backup to the backup plan.
Featured image via Ken Blaze/Imagn Images
