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Nostalgia can be a powerful thing sometimes. That’s why when the Philadelphia Phillies announced the release of Nick Castellanos, the Reds rumor mill instantly and understandably kicked into high gear, weighing his potential return to the Queen City. But it didn’t take long for Reds president Nick Krall to make it fairly clear that any such move wasn’t going to be in the cards.
When speaking about Castellanos, Krall was honest in that he didn’t know if the Reds were “a great fit for him with the guys that we have.” And that statement makes complete sense given that Cincinnati just made their first (and perhaps only) blockbuster signing of the 2026 offseason, inking Eugenio Suarez to a two-year deal.
Suarez is expected to spend most of his time as a designated hitter for the Reds. It’s a logical way to get him in the lineup as his power (49 home runs in 2025) is unlike any other hitter currently on the roster. But he is well below average in the field (he was -3 OAA at third base last season) and Ke’Bryan Hayes has the hot corner on lock down, most importantly because of his prowess with the glove.
For his part, Castellanos can’t realistically play anywhere in the field anymore. He was a shocking -12 outs above average in right field for the Phillies last year. And even if he could play there, the resurgent Noelvi Marte is expected to garner the majority of the playing time at that position. That means that even if the Reds were to sign him, he would be an additional bench bat even in the most optimistic of projections.
Even considering the Reds (or any other major league team) could sign Castellanos for the paltry price of $780,000 (after the Phillies agreed to eat nearly all of his $20 million salary rather than have him in the lineup), there are real questions as to just how much he’d actually improve the 2026 squad. After posting a hard-hit rate of 43 percent with Cincinnati in his All-Star year in 2021 that number fell to just 34 percent in 2025 which was the bottom 16th percentile in the league. In 2025, his average bat speed sat at a below-average 70.5 mph (23rd percentile), while his chase rate spiked to a staggering 40.9% (3rd worst percentile). His OPS+ (88) and wRC+ (90) were both well below the league average and show a steady decline from past seasons in his ability to hit and create runs.
As if those numbers aren’t worrisome enough, many Reds fans remember the way he left the organization in 2021. Castellanos famously slammed Reds ownership for “suffocating” a loyal fan base by failing to invest in a winning product. That same friction with those in power was on display in Philadelphia, especially the “Miami incident,” in which he was benched for defensive reasons and responded by bringing a beer into the dugout and berating manager Rob Thomson.
One cannot deny that Castellanos put together one of the best seasons in recent history when he was a Red in 2021. He slashed .309/.362/.576 with 34 home runs, 100 RBIs, and 38 doubles and was an All-Star and Silver Slugger. While a reunion with the club he once played for might have a chance for a positive redemption story, Nick Krall is correct here. There simply is no place for the player that Castellanos is now, with his baggage and declining skill set even if the price is cheap.
