Minnesota Twins Should Be First in Line for Nick Castellanos

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Nick Castellanos
Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Twins have made virtually zero splashes this offseason, despite Tom Pohlad’s supposed determination to field a competitive team in 2026.

Yes, they brought in catcher Victor Caratini on a two-year deal, first baseman Josh Bell on a one-year deal. More recently they’ve started to address the bullpen, signing former Twin Taylor Rogers and Dodgers castoff Anthony Banda (who cost them nothing).

We know the Pohlads are all talk and no walk, when it comes to building a winning roster. But after the Philadelphia Phillies paid Nick Castellanos $20 million Thursday just to go away, the Twins suddenly have a unique opportunity to add big time talent at a bargain rate.

Now a free agent, Castellanos isn’t expected to sign for much more than the veteran minimum. Thus, there should be no team in the league being more aggressive to bring him in than Minnesota, especially given their need for talent in the corner outfield.

Nick Castellanos fixes Minnesota Twins outfield

In the final year of a five-year, $100 million contract, the Philadelphia Phillies have decided they would rather pay Nick Castellanos $20 million not to play for them. He is now a free agent, and it’s unlikely teams will need to pay more than the league minimum ($780,000).

Every team in baseball can afford to sign Castellanos for $780,000, yes, even the Pohlads. That makes his market robust. That means he’s most likely to land somewhere he can compete.

Is that in Minnesota? Maybe not, but the Twins do represent a unique opportunity to go somewhere he will be inserted into the middle of the lineup and relied upon heavily to produce.

A lot of other teams trying to win will be offering more support-type roles. So… what does Castellanos want at his next stop? That is something that new GM Jeremy Zoll should be finding out, as I type this.

What would Nick Castellanos bring to the MN Twins?

The two-time All-Star has 43 postseason games under his belt including a six-game World Series loss (2022) to Houston. He started his career in 2013 with the Detroit Tigers, and has played in 1,688 games. To put it bluntly, he’s seen it all.

Last season Castellanos posted an uncharacteristic 88 OPS+. It was the first time he was significantly below league average since 2016. Still, he batted .250/.294/.400 with 17 home runs. He has a 108 OPS+ over the past five seasons, and brings experience with him.

Beyond just what he has produced, Castellanos is right-handed. That’s something Minnesota doesn’t have in the corners. Both Matt Wallner and Trevor Larnach provide a level of redundancy. Emmanuel Rodriguez, Alan Roden, James Outman, and Walker Jenkins all bat left-handed as well.

If Zoll wants to provide new manager Derek Shelton with some flexibility, and a proven winner, he could do a lot worse than Castellanos. Plus, Nick loves himself a good beverage too.

Would Castellanos be bad for the Twins locker room?

Castellanos saw his time in Philly come to an end virtually the moment he brought a beer to the dugout after being benched. He’s never been a guy to shy away from his ego or personality, but that was the moment in which he had enough.

Matt Gelb (The Athletic) summarized the situation that Castellanos explained on Instagram. His article, written through the image of the Phillies clubhouse, reads a bit like a takedown piece. Regardless, it was clear that Philadelphia and Nick were no longer made for each other.

But Castellanos, many of his teammates argued, was not a team player. This was an important distinction to make. His candor, appreciated by some because there was never any guessing about where Castellanos stood, was not for everyone. A team player, Phillies sources said, would have understood that late-inning defensive substitutions were not necessarily an indictment of his abilities. The team had a better chance to win that game with a defensive upgrade. A team player, Phillies sources said, would not play music from his own portable speaker if he personally had a good game after a Phillies loss.

The Athletic

A potential distraction is something the Minnesota Twins have to weigh. Castellanos is a substantially more polarizing figure than he was during his days with the Reds and Phillies. He’s going to bring some baggage, and he’ll have a level of expectations.

Maybe that’s a level of toxicity the Twins think they need to avoid. Or, maybe, in a situation that can’t immediately claim to have the same aspirations, it’s a spot for all to reset and thrive.

Minnesota Twins could entice Nick Castellanos…

As things stand, it’s hard to suggest that the Minnesota Twins are capable of being a winner in the vein that Castellanos has experienced. However, the AL Central is much more soft than the NL East, and Castellanos started his career with Detroit.

It was curious when the Twins offered arbitration to Trevor Larnach in the form of a $4.475 million deal for 2026. He has been consistently below league average and batted just .250/.323/.404 with 17 home runs last year. It’s a pretty straightforward swap to switch the two out.

Minnesota has looked to deal Larnach in recent seasons but found no one willing to meet their asking price. If the Pohlads want to grab a better player at a cheaper amount, they could save money by using Larnach as a pure salary dump.

It may take more than the minimum to entice Castellanos with the direction of the Twins, but they could also reallocate some of those saved Larnach funds. If things go belly up, then the Minnesota Twins have yet another trade candidate at the deadline.

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