The Phillies will likely have a regular outfield Adolis Garcia directly, Justin Crawford in the middle and Brandon Marsh left. Nick Castellanos is still on the roster, but reports throughout the winter indicate the Phils plan to move on from him before the season starts. That could happen via a trade, but he won’t have much value due to his declining performance and $20 million remaining in the final year of his contract. If they can’t get a trade done in the next few weeks, he might be released.
With the García/Crawford/Marsh trio, adding a right-swinging complement makes a lot of sense, as Marsh and Crawford both swing from the left side. Marsh has a career .213/.278/.303 and 61 wRC+ against lefties, so it makes sense to protect him from those matchups as much as possible.
Crawford hasn’t even made his major league debut yet, but the Phils seem determined to give him a shot at a center field job this year. In the minors, his exposure to leftists is limited. He stepped up to the plate just 61 times against them in 2024 and only 91 times last year. His 2024 line was a fairly lackluster .263/.295/.439. He shot that up to .376/.411/.518 in 2025, but with a big spike in batting average on balls in play.
It’s hard to get much out of Crawford’s data because we’re talking about a small number of minor league events with no major league experience. Overall, he is a low-power, contact-based hitter. He has never hit more than nine home runs in a minor league season because his production usually comes from putting the ball in play and using his speed. Time will tell how that approach translates against Major League pitchers. It makes sense to have a righty bat on hand to platoon with Marsh, and perhaps Crawford as well, depending on how the latter does in his first taste of big-league weapons.
Grichuk fits the profile because he swings from the right side and has been used as a left-handed masher in recent years. He signed a $2 million deal with the Diamondbacks through 2024 and delivered an excellent return on that modest investment. He was sent to the plate 279 times and slashed .291/.348/.528 for a 139 wRC+. That included a .319/.386/.528 line and 152 wRC+ against lefties.
Despite that solid season, Grichuk’s earning power didn’t improve much. He returned to the Snakes for 2025 with a $5 million guarantee. He wasn’t able to produce in quite the same way, as he slashed .228/.273/.401 for the year and was sent to the Royals at the deadline. His numbers were better against lefties last year, but still not great, as he hit .227/.273/.430 for an 89 wRC+ in the split.
Obviously, the Phillies would hope for more of the 2024 version of Grichuk if they were to sign him. As an interesting side note, Grichuk and Castellanos actually have somewhat similar profiles at the moment. Castellanos didn’t have a great 2025 season either, but hit .269/.324/.506 against lefties in 2024, production that translated into a 124 wRC+. Each player is entering their age-34 season.
Perhaps it speaks to the poor relationship between Castellanos and manager Rob Thomson, who have clashed publicly a few times, that the Phils seemingly plan to get rid of Castellanos and replace him with a similar player, while potentially eating up millions of dollars. Castellanos was benched in June for an inappropriate comment against the skipper. according to ESPN. Castellanos also publicly criticized Thomson for his communication skills. The Phils signed Thomson to an extension last month.
However, Grichuk is clearly superior in the field. Castellanos has never been a great defender. From 2018 to date, he has recorded minus-82 defensive runs saved and minus-75 outs above average. Those are the worst numbers of any player in the Majors for that period, regardless of position.
Grichuk, meanwhile, has been a strong defender in his career. His grades have dropped below average now that he is in his mid-thirties, but not by much. Grichuk has only two innings in center field since the start of 2024, which could work against him as cover for Crawford in center. But Marsh is still a viable midfielder, so it could still be possible to make the fit work.
Even if the Phillies aren’t specifically aligned with Grichuk, they will have to consider other options. Miguel Andujar, Austin Hays, Tommy Pham And Austin Slater There are a few other right-handed free agents available, none of whom should break the bank. Old friend Harrison Bader is out there, but he might have enough energy to get a full-time job, as opposed to a short-side platoon role.
The Phils are one of the highest-spending teams in the league, but there are some indications things are getting tight after their big re-signing deal Kyle Schwarber. In addition to a platoon outfielder, they need to bring back JT Realmuto or do something else to replace it behind the plate.
The Phils opened last year with a payroll of $284 million per Cot’s Baseball Contracts. They are projected to cost $265 million next year Grid source. At the start of the offseason, MLBTR projected Realmuto to a $30 million deal over two years. Between Realmuto and a platoon outfielder, the Phils would likely end up in the same range, though it’s still possible the offseason goes in a different direction. The Phils have reportedly explored the attractive trade market, indicating a reunion with Realmuto is not guaranteed. They were also connected to it Bo Bichette a few days ago, so maybe there’s a chance for a big plot twist in the final weeks of the offseason.
Photo courtesy of Jay Biggerstaff, Imagn Images
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