Phillies decision on beloved former Cub could point to Kyle Tucker

Following a heartbreaking exit from the playoffs, being bounced by the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Philadelphia Phillies are entering an offseason with two key decisions to make involving former Chicago Cubs players. Kyle Schwarber is a free agent this offseason and has expressed a desire to remain in Philadelphia. Meanwhile, a future in Philadelphia doesn't appear to be in the cards for Nick Castellanos.

The Athletic's Matt Gelb reports that the Phillies will either trade or release Castellanos before the start of the 2026 season. Willing to talk about Bryce Harper and the regression he is potentially facing, the free-agent statuses of Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, and Ranger Suarez, it was pretty telling of Castellanos' future when Dave Dombrowski sidestepped questions about the 33-year-old. Dombrowski suggested he wouldn't talk about players under contract with the Phillies when asked about the veteran outfielder, which he proceeded to do for most of his press conference.

Castellanos' exit from the Phillies was foretold at the end of the season. In September, Castellanos was demoted to being a platoon player in the Phillies' outfield, and Rob Thomson wasn't shy about the reasoning behind the move.

A reunion with the Cubs doesn't make much sense. This version of Castellanos is not the same player who posted a 152 wRC+ with 16 home runs in 225 plate appearances with the Cubs at the end of the 2019 season. Letting Castellanos hit free agency was a mistake for the Cubs at the time, but 2025 is not the time to make amends for that.

Phillies may have announced their arrival in the Kyle Tucker sweepstakes

The Phillies have been one of the first teams mentioned when it comes to potential suitors for Kyle Tucker this offseason, and news of Castellanos' imminent exit only provides more confirmation of that idea. With the Phillies at a crossroads, and Harper only getting older, Tucker could be their priority as they look to keep their contention window propped open.

A team like the Phillies acting with urgency could be another reason why it is unlikely that Tucker returns to the Cubs. The impression is that the Cubs will sit back and hope that Tucker's market comes back to them. It's a strategy that has routinely led to the Cubs missing out on the significant moves of the offseason, and Tucker's free agency could be the latest example of that.