Padres’ Nick Castellanos Gets Honest About Dodgers’ ‘Ridiculous Amounts of Spending’

San Diego Padres newest star, Nick Castellanos, was asked about the spending by the National League West rival Los Angeles Dodgers this offseason.

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"Dodgers have tapped into a global market with Shohei Ohtani. They understand how right now they have the ability to establish themselves as a global super power. Earth's baseball team so to speak," Castellanos said to Jomboy Media.

"They know that the only way they're going to be able to sustain that and be able to win championship after championship is to have the best players that baseball can produce. And if you are spending ridiculous amounts of money to do so, in their opinion, so be it.

"The turnaround, I believe is, everybody in Asia is a Dodgers fan. I'm sure that they're getting return on their value. I don't believe that they're just letting dollars go out the door.

"I see what they're doing and hats off."

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“They’re Earth’s baseball team… I believe everybody in Asia is a Dodgers fan.” -Nick Castellanos pic.twitter.com/N0Ba1QgKxu
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) February 26, 2026

Castellanos is quite familiar with the defending champions as he spent the last four seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies. The NL powerhouse's most recent encounter with the Dodgers was in the 2025 NL Division Series, where the Phillies fell in four games.

This offseason, president of baseball operations A.J. Preller welcomed Castellanos to the team after he was released by Philadelphia. The arrival of Castellanos largely completed the Padres lineup after a winter spent searching for a bat to round out the offense.

Castellanos isn't the only Padre to discuss the Dodgers' big money moves, which has been a hot topic this offseason.

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Manny Machado also spoke on the Dodgers' spending and praised the NL rival for their efforts to build another championship roster.

“I (expletive) love it," Machado said recently, via USA Today's Bob Nightengale. “I think every team should be doing it. They’re figured out a way to do it, and the (stuff) is (expletive) great for the game honestly. I think every team has the ability to do it. So, I hope all 30 teams could learn from it."

Both Castellanos and Machado understand what it's like to be part of a World Series contender and it's usually what separates those who respect the Dodgers versus those who abhor the defending champions.

The Padres' first regular season meeting with the Dodgers is May 18 in a three-game series at Petco Park. It'll be a good test for the Friars early in the season as the team chases the NL West crown.

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