Nick Castellanos Agrees to Contract With Padres After Phillies Release

Castellanos didn't have to wait long to find a new team after his exit from the Phillies.

Castellanos spent the last four years in Philadelphia. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Nick Castellanos has found a new home.

Castellanos, who on Thursday was released by the Phillies after four seasons in Philadelphia, quickly found a new team as he agreed to terms on a contract with the San Diego Padres on Saturday, according to multiple reports. Jon Heyman of The New York Post was first to report the news.

The Padres will pay Castellanos the league minimum—$780,000—in his deal. Castellanos figures to spend time at designated hitter or in one of the corner outfield spots for the Padres.

The Hialeah, Fla., native signed a $100 million deal with the Phillies back in March of 2022 on the heels of a career year with the Cincinnati Reds. Castellanos proceeded to endure the highest of highs—an All-Star campaign in 2023 and consecutive postseason games with two-plus home runs in the '23 National League Division Series against the Braves—and the lowest of lows—enduring boos from a tough Philadelphia fanbase amid struggles through his first three months.

After appearing in all 162 games and posting a .742 OPS in 2024, Castellanos hit rock bottom this past season. The 33-year-old scuffled to a .694 OPS at the plate while rating among the worst defensive outfielders in the sport in the metric Outs Above Average.

Nick Castellanos's Miami incident

Castellanos's struggles and apparent underlying frustration came to a head during a June 16 game against the Marlins, during which he was removed from the game for defensive purposes in the eighth inning. Castellanos, feeling disrespected, proceeded to bring a beer into the dugout before he confronted Phillies manager Rob Thomson and his coaching staff.

The next day, the Phillies benched Castellanos for making an “inappropriate comment” towards Thomson. Fast forward to Thursday and Castellanos, with his Phillies' tenure in the rearview, apologized for his conduct during the incident in a handwritten letter posted to his Instagram account.

“Shoutout to my teammates and Howie for taking the beer out of my hands before I could take a sip. (I appreciate you guys.) After the game, I went into the office with Dave and Rob,” Castellanos wrote. “We aired out our differences and the conversation ended with me apologizing for letting my emotions get the best of me.

“I would like to note that I was ready to share the details of the incident in its entirety to the media the next day but was instructed not to by management. The punishment I received for my actions was the benching the following game. I love this game, I love being a teammate and I am addicted to winning. I will learn from this.”

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