PHILADELPHIA – The Phillies have found Nick Castellanos’ replacement in right field.
The Phillies and Adolis García finalized a one-year contract for 2026 on Tuesday. The deal is worth $10 million, according to a source.
García, 32, is expected to be the Phillies’ right fielder next season. At the very least, they expect a defensive upgrade in right compared to Castellanos. At most, they hope García rebounds from two consecutive subpar offensive seasons with the Rangers – who non-tendered him in November – and gives them more pop from the right side.
García batted .227 with 19 home runs, 75 RBIs, a .665 OPS and a 93 OPS+ this season with Texas. He posted a combined .675 OPS and 96 OPS+ the past two years. But from 2021-23, García had a combined .777 OPS and a 113 OPS+, making two American League All-Star teams and winning 2023 AL Championship Series MVP honors.
If you compare 10 advanced metrics between García and Castellanos this year, they look like similar players:
Castellanos
• xwOBA: .300 (23rd)
• xBA: .244 (31st)
• xSLG: .398 (40th)
• Average exit velocity: 87.8 (18th)
• Barrel %: 7.6 (37th)
• Hard-hit %: 34.5 (16th)
• Chase %: 40.9 (3rd)
• Whiff %: 29.9 (16th)
• K %: 22.6 (44th)
• Walk %: 5.4 (15th)
García has the edge in xwOBA, xSLG, average exit velocity, barrel rate, hard-hit rate and chase percentage. Castellanos has the edge in xBA, whiff rate, strikeout rate and walk rate. Perhaps Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long can make a tweak here or there to unlock more from García.
García is a superior defender. He posted +1 outs above average in right field in 2025, according to Baseball Savant, which ranked him 12th out of 36 qualified right fielders. Castellanos finished tied for last with -12 OAA.
García also has one of the strongest arms of any outfielder in baseball. His arm strength (91.9 mph) ranked 30th out of 196 qualified outfielders. Castellanos’ arm strength (81.6 mph) tied for 185th.
The Phillies have said multiple times this offseason that they are trying to find Castellanos a “change of scenery,” despite having one year and $20 million remaining on his five-year, $100 million contract. Sources said they have found little to no interest on the trade market, even with the club willing to pay millions of Castellanos’ salary.
If Castellanos is traded, one source said it probably won’t happen until late in the offseason. If the Phillies still can’t find a taker, Castellanos will be released.
It would be stunning if he is in camp in February.
Castellanos was benched in June in Miami for inappropriate behavior in the dugout after Phillies manager Rob Thomson removed him from a game for defensive purposes. Castellanos again expressed his frustrations with Thomson in September.
In four seasons with the Phillies, Castellanos slashed .260/.306/.426 with a .732 OPS and a 100 OPS+, meaning he has been a league-average offensive player. His -32 outs above average were seventh lowest over those four seasons out of 267 qualified players.
This season, Castellanos finished last out of 145 qualified players with -0.6 fWAR and -0.8 bWAR.
García posted 2.7 bWAR and 0.7 fWAR this year.
At the moment, it looks as if the Phillies’ outfield will include a combination of García, Brandon Marsh, Justin Crawford (their No. 3 prospect per MLB Pipeline), Otto Kemp and Weston Wilson. Johan Rojas remains on the 40-man roster and will compete for a job. Pedro León and Gabriel Rincones Jr. also are on the 40-man roster.
The Phillies have expressed interest in bringing back free-agent center fielder Harrison Bader. One source indicated last week at the Winter Meetings that Philadelphia might move on from Bader if it re-signs both Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto.
Schwarber signed a five-year, $150 million deal last Tuesday. The Phillies have an offer on the table for Realmuto. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski expressed “optimism” last week that both would return.
Signing García to a one-year deal might solidify that thinking about Bader, who is reportedly seeking a three-year contract, although that is unclear. If Bader returns to the Phillies, they might need to move payroll first.