Baseball is Back! If Moving Casty Requires Auctioning Wheeler’s Rib, So Be It

Can I just say, on behalf of Phillies fans: stop stringing Nick Castellanos along like he did nothing for this franchise. I was never the biggest Casty fan. I understood the streakiness. We all got tired of “low and away, swing and a miss.” But the way this is ending feels petty.

I’m sure part of it is that he and Topper never really saw eye to eye- especially when it came to being pulled late for defense. Castellanos wanted to play. He made that clear, and I always appreciated his competitiveness.

And at least he showed up in October.

CBP during 2023 playoffs. Photo Credit: Prepare the Floats™ staff

Since Casty joined the Philadelphia Phillies in 2022, he’s tied for third on the team in postseason RBIs with 20, alongside Kyle Schwarber, trailing only Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto.

The Phillies have had months to solve this, and according to Phillies beat writer, Matt Gelb of The Athletic, Nick will be traded or released within the next few days.

But it never should have gotten to this point. Either the Phillies have been asking another team to eat too much of the $20 million left on the deal, or they’re not willing to attach enough minor league talent to get a team to take enough of the salary on.

But dragging it out like this just feels really sloppy. Turn the page and release him already, and stop treating him like he didn’t help the team at all.

Now, while all of this is unfolding, we get this absolute gem of news…

In case you’ve been so locked in on the Olympics after the Super Bowl that you missed it- apparently Zack Wheeler kept the rib removed during his thoracic outlet surgery.

In a jar. In his closet.

I'm sorry, what?

In the immortal words of Clark W. Griswold, “If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn’t be more surprised than I am right now.”

At this point, let’s just auction off Wheeler’s spare rib. Maybe we can use the proceeds to chip away at the salary hit and finally get Casty moved.

Baseball is undefeated.

UPDATE: THE PHILLIES HAVE RELEASED CASTY

CASTY UPDATE: A Rib in a Jar. A Beer in the Dugout. The “Miami Incident.”

This story is getting more insane by the minute.

A rib in a jar and a beer in the dugout within 24 hours? Of course this is happening to the Philadelphia Phillies.

No wonder they took their time with Nick Castellanos- the man was literally cracking a Presidente next to Rob Thomson during a game like it was a Friday night at Xfinity Live.

According to a beautifully penned note written by Casty on Thursday, he owned what he now calls the “Miami Incident.” After being pulled from a tight game, he admitted he “brought a Presidente into the dugout. I then sat right next to Rob and let him know that too much slack in some areas and too tight of restrictions in others are not conducive to us winning.”

The “Miami Incident” led to a postgame meeting with Topper and Dave Dombrowski, where, in Castellanos’ words, everyone “aired out our differences,” and the conversation ended with him apologizing for letting his emotions get the best of him.

Nick Castellanos is a Philly guy. A beer in the clubhouse is 93' Kruk-like. Casty deserves a plaque for this.

Meanwhile, somewhere in a closet, Zack Wheeler’s preserved rib sits in a jar like a sacred relic baseball that belongs in the Major League films.

Baseball is back. And we are so back. PREPARE THE FLOATS™!!!!