Pittsburgh radio host has most ridiculous Nick Castellanos-Pirates take possible

Spring training is upon us, and while the Pittsburgh Pirates are much improved, roster holes still remain.

One of the major issues remaining is third base. While the prospect of Jared Triolo starting at the hot corner may sound less than ideal, let this be a reminder that it could always be worse. Much worse.

The Philadelphia Phillies released Nick Castellanos this week after failing to find a trade partner (the revelation that the veteran slugger was disciplined for bringing a beer into the dugout during a game last year probably didn't help his trade value). Philadelphia will eat his $20 million salary in the process.

While most would have serious reservations about bringing in Castellanos — as if his declining production wasn't enough of a concern — some are so desperate that they'd consider it.

That led 93.7 The Fan radio host Andrew Fillipponi to take to Twitter/X to advocate for the Pirates to sign Castellanos. The most baffling part is that he'd want him to play third base.

And why on earth would anyone want that?

Signing Nick Castellanos to be the Pirates' starting third baseman is the most outlandish take you might ever hear

Let's start with the obvious. Castellanos hasn't played third base since 2017, when he was a member of the Detroit Tigers. There's a very obvious reason why he moved off the hot corner nearly a decade ago — he was terrible at it!

The last time Castellanos played third, he posted -12 outs above average. In the years since, he's become a poor defensive outfielder, posting another -12 OAA in right field last season. There is zero reason to believe that at 34 years old, he wouldn't be absolutely atrocious at third base now.

The defensive abomination might be worth it if Castellanos hit at an elite clip, but with a 90 wRC+ last season, that wasn't the case. For what it's worth, that's not far off from Triolo's 86 wRC+ last year, but at least Triolo is a Gold Glove winner.

Then there's the clubhouse impact of it all. Obviously, with Castellanos' behavior issues coming to light, it seems like he'd be the last guy you'd want hanging around a young team. The Pirates have added a lot of vets, but we're going to see youngsters contribute, and Castellanos probably isn't a guy you'd want someone like Konnor Griffin hanging around.

The Pirates allegedly aren't done looking for third base help. Trade options include Isaac Paredes, Brett Baty, and Mark Vientos. Even if they strike out on all three, signing Castellanos won't be on the table. He was once a prominent slugger, so he's a name people know, but in 2026 it's hard to see him providing any team with positive value — especially the Pirates.