It didn’t take long for the first domino of a crucial Philadelphia Phillies offseason to drop. After Dave Dombrowski hinted at wanting to overhaul the team’s outfield situation in 2026, The Athletic’s Matt Gelb reported on Friday that Philly expects to either release or trade embattled veteran Nick Castellanos at some point this winter.

That sound you hear in the distance is all of Southeast Pennsylvania rejoicing in unison. Castellanos had his moments in Philly, but those moments were increasingly few and far between of late, culminating in a miserable 2025 season in which he posted a .294 OBP and a .694 OPS in 589 plate appearances. Combine that with his bottom-of-the-barrel defense in right field, and you can make a pretty good argument that he was the worst regular in the entire league this year. Something had to change, and now, finally, something will.

But that brings us to the next problem: What do you do with a player coming off that poor of a season, and who still has $20 million owed to him in 2026? Will Dombrowski be forced to simply dump him for nothing? Maybe, but also maybe not.

Desperation always thrums just under the surface at this time of year, after all, and Castellanos does at least bring some sort of track record of production with him. If the price is right, Philly might be able to make him someone else’s problem next season while also maybe getting a piece in return. Here are four teams Dombrowski should be hitting up.

Cincinnati Reds

Cincy has some bullpen reconstruction to do as well, but the first priority this offseason is clear: Add some more punch to an offense that ranked 21st in slugging percentage and 19th in OPS this season. The Reds are also likely to decline the $12 million option on Austin Hays, creating the need for another righty bat who can either man a corner spot or slot in at DH.

As it happens, Castellanos fits that description to a tee. And while he’s probably not an everyday player at this point in his career, we’re just a year removed from him slashing .269/.324/.506 against left-handed pitching. There’s a chance that limiting his exposure to tougher righties will help his numbers immensely, and the last time he called Great American Ball Park home, he hit 34 dingers and made the All-Star team.

Castellanos wouldn’t be an ideal fit, and the Reds could simply bring back Miguel Andujar or make a run at a strict platoon bat like Rob Refsnyder. On limited resources, though, they might opt for the devil they know.

Kansas City Royals

Kansas City struggled in a lot of areas offensively this year, but their outfield situation was particularly dire: Royals right fielders produced a a 69 wRC+ (30th in MLB), while their left fielders produced a 75 wRC+ (29th in MLB). With Adam Frazier and Mike Yastrzemski off to free agency, this team is in desperate need of a corner bat who can give Salvador Perez, Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino — the only Royals who hit more than 16 homers in 2025 — some help.

In terms of raw power potential, there aren’t a ton of better options that figure to be within K.C.’s price range. The reality of Castellanos might not be as helpful as his reputation suggests, but this team has a mandate to try and contend next season as Witt fully enters his prime. That sort of need and desperation is something Dave Dombrowski should be able to work with.

Cleveland Guardians

The Guardians might be the single cleanest fit out there. Anybody who watched their Wild Card exit against the Detroit Tigers knows how badly this team needs to add someone who can impact the baseball, and the front office has already been open about wanting to find some upgrades in the outfield — hardly a surprise, considering how uninspired the options were in center and right field for most of the season.

Plus, with Kyle Manzardo likely taking over at first base after being blocked by Josh Naylor (and then Carlos Santana) in recent years, there’s even a chance for him to spend most of his time at DH. If the Jhonkensy Noel experience is officially dead, Castellanos would be something like the actualized version; plus, for a team that hardly ever dips its toes into the free-agent waters in a meaningful way, this would represent an alternate path to finding some more offense.

Texas Rangers

The Rangers, too, need offense if they hope to mound a playoff push in 2026. This was an uncharacteristically down year for what had been one of the better lineups in baseball in recent years, and Castellanos might be an ideal fit.

Joc Pederson was a nightmare as the regular Texas DH; Castellanos could at the very least serve as a platoon partner against left-handed pitching. And if the Rangers do go ahead and non-tender Adolis Garcia as a cost-saving measure, they’re going to have a need for both another right-field option and another right-handed bat to compliment lefties like Evan Carter and Alejandro Osuna. Again, a team that needs some more offensive punch but has limited resources with which to shop for it? That’s Philly’s sweet spot here.