Despite a familiar past, the Cubs' outfield needs demand a better solution than a declining, defensive liability.
The Chicago Cubs' starting outfield is set to begin the 2026 season.
Ian Happ will start in left field, Pete Crow-Armstrong will start in center field, and Seiya Suzuki will start in right field. Those three players will start the majority of games in the outfield this year.
Even though the starting outfield is set, the Cubs are still looking to fill out that fourth outfield spot ahead of the new season. Players like Kevin Alcantara, Dylan Carlson, Justin Dean, and Chas McCormick will all be battling for that final outfield spot throughout the spring.
The North Siders could also look to add another outfielder to the mix. With the Philadelphia Phillies releasing Nick Castellanos on Thursday, the front office could eye the 33-year-old veteran in free agency.
The Cubs are obviously more than familiar with Castellanos, as they traded for him at the 2019 Trade Deadline. In his short time in the Windy City, the outfielder made a strong impact. He hit .321 with 16 home runs, 21 doubles, and 36 RBI across 51 games.
However, Chicago should not go after him in free agency.
While the Cubs do need a fourth outfielder on their roster, Castellanos is not exactly the answer. He had a major falling out with the Phillies, and he is not the same player he was with the Cubs seven years ago.
For starters, Castellanos has regressed offensively over the past few years. His batting average, home run numbers, and RBI numbers were all down in 2025. He also ranked in the bottom 20% of the league in chase rate (40.9%), whiff rate (29.9%), hard-hit rate (34.5%), and average exit velocity (87.8 mph) last year.
Then, there’s his defense.
Castellanos is arguably the worst defensive outfielder in all of baseball entering the 2026 season. He finished with a -12 Fielding Run Value last season, tied for the third-worst among all qualified outfielders.
The Cubs couldn’t even feel confident putting Castellanos out there in right field. His -12 Outs Above Average and -11 Runs Prevented last season show that, and his -45 Fielding Run Value since the start of the 2022 season ranks dead last among all outfielders.
For a player whose offensive numbers are declining and whose defensive numbers rank among the league’s worst, the Cubs should not be looking to pick up Castellanos in free agency.
He just wouldn’t be a nice fit for the team. The veteran would probably have more of a bench role in 2026, and fans know how he reacted to having a similar role with the Phillies down the stretch last season.
In a year that the Cubs have World Series aspirations, they are better off letting another team sign Castellanos.