NEW YORK — The script flipped on the Phillies in the 2024 NLDS.
Two years in a row, they were the hot team that came in and upset the World Series frontrunner Atlanta Braves in four games in the NLDS. This time around, the Phillies won the NL East, earned the first-round bye and looked well-positioned to make a third consecutive deep postseason run. But they ran into the Mets at the wrong time, losing in ... four games.
After being eliminated by virtue of a 4-1 loss Wednesday night at Citi Field, Nick Castellanos had some pointed thoughts.
"I mean, losing sucks, man — there's no way around it," Castellanos said in a silent clubhouse.
"But instead of feeling sorry for myself, I'm gonna give them credit because right now the Mets are playing really good baseball. They're hot. From watching them play in the beginning of the year in April and May ... and watching Jose Iglesias be able to unify them and get the city to buy into something bigger is nothing short of incredible. And just, give them their credit, they beat us."
Castellanos, though, did point out that he thinks the Phillies are a better team, but noted that doesn't really matter.
"Are there things that we could have done better? Yes.
"Are there things that we could have done differently? Yes.
"Do I think that they are a better team than us? No," Castellanos said. "But this series, they were."
As a team leader, that's a good assessment from Castellanos, who was the first player to speak to the media in the clubhouse after the game.
Individually, though, he was probably the best position player on the team during the series. Castellanos had two of the four hits for the Phillies in Game 4. He had seven hits in 17 at-bats in the NLDS, including a game-tying home run and walk-off single in Game 2, the lone victory of this postseason for the Phillies.
What happens next for both Castellanos and the Phillies will be interesting.
He got off to an ice-cold start in his third season with the team, and finished the year with a 0.4 WAR and -11 defensive runs saved, according to FanGraphs. He did, though, play all 166 games for the Phillies between the regular and postseason this year. He posted an .839 OPS after the All-Star Break, a massive improvement from the first half of the season when he finished with a .680 mark.
Castellanos has two seasons remaining on his five-year/$100 million contract. He's a difficult player to evaluate, because his peaks are so impressive, but his valleys are, well, the opposite. His work-ethic, though, is as good as anyone in the league.
Would the Phillies consider trading him — waters they appeared to dip their toes into before quickly getting out of last winter — as they look to shake things up? Would there be interest in Castellanos, particularly if the Phillies prefer to not eat money on the remainder of the deal?
President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski will soon have to answer these questions about the player he once made a first-round pick out of high school in 2010. It won't be easy.
