The Philadelphia Phillies are not expecting outfielder Nick Castellanos to return in 2026 as they explore trading him before Opening Day. Meanwhile, Wilyer Abreu has emerged as a trade piece for the New York Mets in a proposal involving Brett Baty.
Let’s check out these updates.
Phillies Explore Nick Castellanos Move
The 2025 season saw the deterioration of the relationship between the Phillies and Nick Castellanos. The outfielder saw a major dip in his performance last season and his relationship with manager Rob Thompson only worsened the situation for him to return to the locker room in 2026. This offseason, the Phillies are aggressively pushing to trade Castellanos, even ready to eat a major portion of his salary.
With the first official workout scheduled next Monday, the Phillies are expected to move Castellanos this week.
“We’re doing everything we can to make a move by (Monday),” President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters. “I’ll leave it at that right now.”
Dombrowski also mentioned that the Phillies are “continuing to talk to clubs” to make a trade happen. Castellanos has one year, $20 million remaining on his five-year contract.
If the Phillies are unable to trade Castellanos, they will be releasing him, but they’ll get only $780K league minimum in return. However, if they make a trade happen, they might be able to save a couple of million dollars.
Wilyer Abreu Emerges As Mets Trade Piece in Brett Baty Proposal
ESPN’s David Schoenfield proposed a trade between the New York Mets and the Boston Red Sox that would solve problems for both franchises. The Red Sox have a surplus in outfield but lack a third baseman. They can trade Wilyer Abreu to the New York Mets in exchange for third baseman Brett Baty, who batted .254 with 18 home runs and 50 RBIs last season.
This way, the Mets would get their hands on an outfielder like Abreu, who batted .247 with 22 home runs and 69 RBIs last season. The trade makes sense in a lot of ways other than just similar production. Both have exactly four years remaining under team control.
However, there is a reason why the Mets wouldn’t want to trade Baty just yet. While they have signed Bo Bichette to a three-year, $126 million contract, the former Toronto Blue Jays shortstop could still opt out after the 2026 season, leaving the Mets without a third baseman.
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