A recent article by The Athletic (subscription required) took an in-depth look at some of the worst contracts currently in Major League Baseball.
In their analysis, in addition to ranking the top 10 current worst contracts, they included a list of honorable mentions.
Unfortunately, a member of the Philadelphia Phillies found his way on the list. That player turns out to be All-Star outfielder Nick Castellanos.
So, is The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen correct in calling Castellanos’ five-year, $100 million contract a bust already just two years into the deal? Let’s take a closer look at his performance to date.
In his first year with the Phillies after signing the contract, it sure indeed looked like a wrong move for the ballclub as Castellanos was on pace to put up some of his worst numbers since his first two seasons in the league.
In 136 games, he batted .263 with a dismal .694 OPS, along with only 56 runs scored, 13 home runs, and 62 RBI.
All of this was accomplished while hitting in the heart of the Phillies’ order, including a long run in the cleanup spot in the first three months of the 2022 season.
This was coming off a career year in 2021 in which he posted a personal best .309 batting average, 34 home runs, and 100 RBI in 138 games played with the Cincinnati Reds, thus earning him the lucrative contract from the Phillies.
However, Castellanos rebounded with a strong 2023 season as he returned to his power and run-producing ways.
During the regular season, he compiled a .272 average with a .788 OPS, 79 runs scored, 29 home runs, a career-high 106 RBI, and even 11 stolen bases to boot.
In doing so, he became an All-Star for the second time in his career and helped lead the Phillies to their second consecutive postseason berth.
Just to show how Castellanos fared in comparison to other prominent MLB players with multi-year contracts and similar AAV salaries, here is their overall production in 2023:
