There’s no denying the Cleveland Guardians’ outfield is a work in progress. While they have some exciting young options that the front office has already said will get plenty of opportunities in 2026.
But that doesn’t mean that an external acquisition would be beneficial. Yes, Chase DeLauter and George Valera are intriguing players who should get every shot possible to make the roster, but they’ve also both struggled with injuries throughout their career — which is a big reason why both of them MLB debuts came after Aug. 31 last year.
One of the best ways for the Guardians to protect against that (while also adding to their lineup) would be adding a veteran outfielder to the fold. And the Philadelphia Phillies just provided them with a golden opportunity to do so.
On Monday, the Phillies inked outfielder Adolis García to a one-year, $10 million deal that all but confirms that Nick Castellanos’ time with the Phillies has come to an end. While the Phillies’ haven’t been shy about their intentions of wanting to trade Castellanos, bringing García into the fold means that there’s no room on the roster for Castellanos.
Nick Castellanos could fix the Guardians’ outfield problems
The move also removes what little leverage the Phillies had when it comes to trade talks around Castellanos, meaning that he’ll be available for even more of a minimal cost, which should intrigue the Guardians.
That said, Castellanos is coming off the worst season of his career, as he hit just .250 with 17 home runs and 72 RBI in 147 games while also grading out as one of the worst defensive outfielders in all of baseball.
It’s clear that he’s no longer an everyday player, but the Guardians wouldn’t need him to be. As mentioned above, they have Chase DeLauter and George Valera in the fold alongside CJ Kayfus (who can play some right field) and Petey Halpin.
Castellanos could provide some value as a platoon bat (.294 career batting average against lefties) while alternating between right field and designated hitter.
That may seem like a steep price to pay for a guy making $20 million next season (the final year of the five-year, $100 million contract he signed with the Phillies before the ‘22 season), but there may be a bit more to it than that since the Phillies are going to need to pay down some of his salary regardless of where he goes.
By no means should the Guardians give up someone like Parker Messick or Angel Genao for Castellanos, but trading away a lower-level lottery ticket prospect could be worth it (even if that hasn’t worked out for Cleveland in the past.)
The Guardians clearly need to fix their outfield, and adding Castellanos would be an easy way for them to do so, even if it would be a gamble.
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