The outfield remains a massive question mark for the Cleveland Guardians. Obviously, some promising players are coming up, such as Chase DeLauter and George Valera, and Steven Kwan is still an All-Star, but how the position group will perform next season remains an overall concern.

There could be one veteran player on the market for the Guardians after a recent move by the Philadelphia Phillies.

There were rumblings earlier this offseason that Nick Castellanos’ time with the Phillies could be coming to an end, and after Philadelphia signed Adolis Garcia to a deal, it makes even more sense for the organization to part ways with the 33-year-old.

If the deal makes sense for Cleveland, the front office should pursue a trade for the former All-Star and could carve out a role for the former on the 2026 roster.

Guardians Still Need More Outfield Depth

Perhaps one of the biggest problems with Cleveland’s outfield, as concerning as some pieces are, is that they’re fairly injury-prone. One of Castellanos’ strengths is that he’s been just about an everyday player throughout his career, and that hasn’t changed in his 

During his four years in Philadelphia, Castellanos has averaged 150 games per season, and he played all 162 games in 2024. 

Castellanos has proven throughout his entire career that he can be available every day, and the Guardians may need that depth if Kwan, DeLauter, or Valera end up on the injury list for a prolonged stint. 

Castellanos Has Favorable Platoon Splits

Castellanos’ offensive numbers have started to decline over the last couple of years, but he’s still been a favorable hitter against left-handed pitching, which was one of Cleveland’s biggest weaknesses last season.

Castellanos’ OPS against lefties may have been just .680 in 2025, but the right-handed hitter has a career slash line of .294/.344/.509 off of southpaws. There’s reason to believe he could rebound in a purely platoon role next year. 

The contract is where things could get complicated in a possible trade. It’s hard to see if the Guardians are the any team in MLB that takes on the full $20 million left on Casteollanos’ contract.

If Philadelphia is willing to eat part of that salary, though, that could further incentivize Cleveland to add the veteran to their team for next season.