Article speculates an Arenado to Pillies trade for Castellanos

[ramfandan]

For what it's worth ...

https://redbirdrants.com/cardinals-coul ... icial-deal

When the Cardinals rescued Nolan Arenado from a rebuild in Colorado, they received arguably the best all-around third baseman in the game. The Cardinals had just moved on from Matt Carpenter as their everyday option at the hot corner and replaced him with a perennial MVP and Gold Glove candidate in Arenado. To soften the blow of the acquisition, the Rockies not only took minimal prospect capital from St. Louis, but they also handed over a hefty amount of cash towards Arenado's contract.


As things now stand, Arenado has two years remaining on his deal with an average salary of about $15 million. With his track record prior to 2024, this would be a steal for a player of his caliber, but his all-around level of play has declined to the point where even that figure is an overpay. Arenado did get his defense back above-average, so he could still pick it at third for a team in need of a bounce-back candidate who will not hurt the team on the field.

A candidate for this would be the Philadelphia Phillies, who are in an interesting spot as a franchise as they have been extremely competitive but are aging with a lot of money tied into their current players. The Phillies currently have 29-year-old Alec Bohm as their everyday third baseman, but it seems like patience has been running thin with him, as his power has not developed to expectations, and his defense at third has been porous. The team has attempted to have him play first base at times, but they currently have Bryce Harper filling that spot most days.


Bohm is a free agent after the 2027 season, but the Phillies have been seen as a team that might tweak their roster, and trading Bohm could help them fill a need elsewhere. If that were to happen, Arenado could jump right into the starting lineup while also not having to shoulder the massive expectations of a middle-of-the-order bat. While Arenado and his contract probably will not return much in terms of prospect value, the Cardinals could look to fill one of their own needs in a deal with Philly.

The Phillies have announced that they are likely to move on from outfielder/DH Nicholas Castellanos this offseason, even if that means an outright release. Castellanos, 33, is coming off of a down year but has put together a decent resume that he could jump into the Cardinals lineup without limiting some of their younger players. Assuming the Cardinals deal at least one player from their current lineup, there would be an opening for Castellanos to take on the everyday DH role for the Cardinals, something they have not had since the NL adopted the DH full-time.


Castellanos is currently scheduled to make $20 million in 2026, the final year of his contract. He did play 143 games in the outfield last season, but is viewed as one of the worst fielding outfielders in the game. The Cardinals look to have their outfield set in one way or another, so he would not be needed in the grass unless something happens to one of their starters. A one-for-one Castellanos-for-Arenado swap would at least be interesting to me, but you have to wonder if the Phillies would want anything else to offset the cost.

The former division rival would provide St. Louis with more power, as he has four seasons with at least 25 homers and has a career-high of 34 he put up in 2021. He can also drive in runs, as his 72 RBIs this season would be second on this year's Cardinals team and his 17 long balls would be good for fourth on the squad. On a one-year deal while St. Louis determines what they have in the organization, Castellanos could be an exciting stopgap for the future.

[earp]

Castellanos is currently scheduled to make $20 million in 2026,
Remember this is the STL Cardinals
think maybe Chase Davis
paid very little
Power-hitting outfield prospect
budget-friendly contracts, internal development, and realistic trade possibilities:


Jordan Walker Pre-arbitration Power bat, cornerstone piece
CF Victor Scott II Rookie contract Elite speed and defense

OF Alec Burleson Arbitration year 1 Lefty bat, corner depth
OF Chase Davis

[ecleme22]

Not a horrible idea.

And with only one year remaining in NC’s deal, he could be trade bait at the DL.

[Basil Shabazz]

Would/Could Blaze Jordan put up Castellanos numbers in the same amount of PAs?

[11WSChamps]

That trade would be akin to rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

One declining player for another and not to mention one that can't play defense where at least Arenado can do that.

And I loved that notion that the Cardinal outfield is set. LOL

There's nothing set about the OFas of now.

[Talkin' Baseball]

Man, I hope they don't do that. Just dump the contract, eat the money, and move on. No need to take on a jackwagon on the downhill side of things.

[ScotchMIrish]

No. Take on a 34 year old outfielder with declining numbers except for strikeouts.

Only if they take all of Arenado's contract and all of Castellanos' contract. Then we get a free backup DH.

[rockondlouie]

ONLY if the Phils take NADO's entire contract (toss in P Pages to the Phils).

NADO
$37M + deferred money

Net's BDWJr $17+M

[Melville]

Makes no sense.
STL already has a plethora of DH options.
And they already have a terrible defensive RF.
And why trade one declining RH bat for another?
This proposal makes less than zero sense for the Cardinals.
Keep an eye on Arizona.
There is a very, very good fit for both teams to line up a trade.
That is N/A's most likely landing spot.

[icon]

Makes no sense.
STL already has a plethora of DH options.
And they already have a terrible defensive RF.
And why trade one declining RH bat for another?
This proposal makes less than zero sense for the Cardinals.
Keep an eye on Arizona.
There is a very, very good fit for both teams to line up a trade.
That is N/A's most likely landing spot.

Yeah, just what they need is another DH. Stupid proposal.

[OldRed]

Makes no sense.
STL already has a plethora of DH options.
And they already have a terrible defensive RF.
And why trade one declining RH bat for another?
This proposal makes less than zero sense for the Cardinals.
Keep an eye on Arizona.
There is a very, very good fit for both teams to line up a trade.
That is N/A's most likely landing spot.

??

[82birds]

Makes no sense.
STL already has a plethora of DH options.
And they already have a terrible defensive RF.
And why trade one declining RH bat for another?
This proposal makes less than zero sense for the Cardinals.

agree

[mattmitchl44]

If the Phillies want to replace Bohm with Arenado, ask for Bohm before Castellanos.

[craviduce]

Castellanos is currently scheduled to make $20 million in 2026,
Remember this is the STL Cardinals
think maybe Chase Davis
paid very little
Power-hitting outfield prospect
budget-friendly contracts, internal development, and realistic trade possibilities:


Jordan Walker Pre-arbitration Power bat, cornerstone piece
CF Victor Scott II Rookie contract Elite speed and defense

OF Alec Burleson Arbitration year 1 Lefty bat, corner depth
OF Chase Davis

So far, we haven't gotten that Chase Davis yet....I doubt we will. Undeniable elite defender....but weak bat. Ground and Pounder at Springfield and K's too much. That's not a power hitter recipe. I'm glad he hit 18 HR at Arizona in college, but we're still waiting for that better swing....and he's gone through 4 swing corrections...1 of the corrections allowed to hit 4 HR vs. Daytona at Jackie Robinson field over the course of 2 weeks, back in May-June of 2024....but that now has a feeling of an extreme outlier.

Davis isn't the OF answer...unless by some miracle he turns into Wine in 2027-2028. I wouldn't protect him from Rule 5 draft after next season going into the 2026 Winter Meetings.

[scoutyjones2]

Makes no sense.
STL already has a plethora of DH options.
And they already have a terrible defensive RF.
And why trade one declining RH bat for another?
This proposal makes less than zero sense for the Cardinals.
Keep an eye on Arizona.
There is a very, very good fit for both teams to line up a trade.
That is N/A's most likely landing spot.

??

Just Worthless, Jordan Walker

[ecleme22]

I think with NA, beggars can’t be choosers.

So here’s what a NA/NC trade gets you:
1. 17 mil freed up. I can’t think of a trade where the cards can get THAT much more in return.
2. OF help. I know he’s not a good OFer, but he is an OFer who rarely is injured. What a concept.
3. A bounce-back candidate w one year remaining on his contract. So maybe there’s hoping to flip him at the DL.


If you think this NC trade is a bad one, that’s fair. But I don’t see a situation where an NA trade isn’t a little ugly.