Phillies wisely pick up Jose Alvarado’s option. Next? Trade Nick Castellanos | Marcus Hayes

The Phillies had a left-hander reliever in his prime who throws 100 mph and is desperate to make amends for getting suspended for 80 games for a positive PED test. They had until Thursday to exercise the $9 million option to retain him. They did so on Wednesday evening.

They’re getting a 30-year-old on a contract year who would probably have made a lot more than that on an open market in which most of the better left-handed relievers are at least five years older than him. For some reason, they delayed in announcing their intentions until the last minute.

Weird but, ultimately, smart.

» READ MORE: Phillies 2026 bullpen outlook: Free-agent options, prospect forecast, and more

The Phillies also have an aging right fielder who hasn’t played to the level of his contract and whose relationship with his manager is fractured. He could have been traded by now. I’m a bit shocked that he has not.

By this time next week, free agency, which begins Thursday, will have ravaged the Phillies. They can’t make free agents like Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, Ranger Suárez, or Harrison Bader return, but the fates of left-handed reliever José Alvarado and right fielder Nick Castellanos lie firmly in their hands.

Cast off Casty

After a volatile incident of insubordination and then months of simmering resentment, Castellanos and manager Rob Thomson cannot be expected to coexist further. Thomson benched Castellanos for defensive purposes on June 16, and Castellanos’ in-game reaction in the dugout to his manager was so vile that Thomson and president Dave Dombrowski not only benched Castellanos for one game, they made a public announcement about it.

By the end of another underperforming season, Castellanos was a fallen star: a $20 million pinch-hitter and platoon player.

To his credit, he was a well-prepared, completely invested fallen star and, to his further credit, a fallen star who never minced words regarding his diminished role, but his continued discontent was verbalized only when asked. He wasn’t Mr. Congeniality, but he remained a tireless worker, a loyal teammate, and an accountable professional.

» READ MORE: Rob Thomson defends The Bunt, admits bullpen mistakes, says he’d manage Phillies forever (wink)

But Castellanos’ fate was sealed Oct. 13, when a New York Post reporter tweeted that sources indicated that Thomson would return to the Phillies. Three days later, Casty was buried by this news: In his year-end press conference, Dombrowski said the Phillies expect to extend Thomson’s contract through the 2027 season.

When asked about Castellanos’ future in light of how contentiously 2025 ended, Dombrowski also said this:

“Well, we’ll see what happens. I don’t know. I mean, I’m not going to get into specific players that are under roster, under contract, but the things that you talked about are accurate, but we’ll see what happens.”

Dombrowski also confirmed that he got involved in the situation.

See ya, Nick.

For his part, on the same day Dombrowski talked, Thomson later said of his relationship with Castellanos: “From my perspective, it’s, it’s good. I mean, I never hold any grudges, or if I have a problem with a player or another coach, it doesn’t linger. I’m always a guy that’s going to turn the page.”

The Phillies might not be able to turn the page for much profit if they move Castellanos.

For one thing, he said he played through a knee injury that happened in late July. Teams don’t like acquiring damaged goods, and the Phillies haven’t been forthcoming about the status of Castellanos’ knee.

For another thing, he’ll be 34 next season, and he has vastly underperformed his five-year, $100 million deal, on which they still owe him $20 million for 2026. Depending on the grade and who’s grading, Castellanos has been the worst or second-worst defensive player in baseball in the four-year span that he’s been a Phillie. But he wasn’t signed to catch the ball; the original plan had him sharing DH duties with Schwarber.

He was signed to hit the ball. He has not. At least, not well enough often enough.

» READ MORE: Harrison Bader could (should?) be Phillies’ first free agent piece. Questions loom on Alec Bohm and others.

In the six seasons that preceded his arrival, playing for three teams, Castellanos hit .286 with 142 home runs, 214 doubles, and an .853 OPS, which ranked 32nd among players with at least 2,000 plate appearances. Not bad.

In his four seasons as a Phillie he has hit .260 with 82 home runs, 121 doubles, and a .732 OPS, which ranks 120th among players with at least 1,250 plate appearances. Not only is that bad, it’s three OPS points and four ranking spots below Angels outfielder Mickey Moniak, the former first-round Phillies prospect they traded in 2022 to rent Noah Syndergaard.

The Phillies might get only a double-A reliever who throws 95 mph and they might have to eat $15 million of Castellanos’ contract, but they don’t have much real choice.

Alvarado? He’s another story.

‘Bullish on Alvarado’

In his breakout seasons of 2022 and 2023, he had a 2.53 ERA and a 14.1 strikeout-per-nine rate, even better numbers through his first 15 games in 2025, and, after one bad outing, better numbers yet until he began to serve his suspension. Alvarado got injured almost as soon as he came off his ban, and the suspension made him ineligible to pitch in the playoffs, but he’s healthy now and he threw only 26 major-league innings last season.

Thomson is eager to ride him for 60-plus innings in 2026.

“I’m really bullish on Alvarado. I love him. I love his energy. I love his stuff,” Thomson said in October. “I think, wherever he’s at, he’s going to have a really good year next year.”

Wherever he’s at?

Dave?

“We just have to sit down and make that final decision.”

For real?

“I’d be surprised — without making any announcements — that Alvarado is not back with us.”

He’s back with them.

Whew.