Why Nick Castellanos’s Phillies Stint Went South and How He Fits With Padres

Castellanos landed with the Padres on Saturday.

Castellanos was released by the Phillies on Feb. 12. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Just days after his release from the Phillies, outfielder All-Star Nick Castellanos on Saturday agreed to terms on a contract with the San Diego Padres, who will pay the two-time All-Star the league minimum of $780,000.

Landing with the Padres presents a sort of career reset for Castellanos, whose relationship seemed to sour with the Phillies to the point where the club was willing to eat $20 million of salary for a player who won’t even be taking the field for the club in 2026.

So how did things get to this point?

The highs and lows of Castellanos’s Phillies career

Castellanos, fresh off his first All-Star campaign with the Reds in 2021, signed a $100 million contract with the Phillies in March of 2022. Unfortunately, his Phillies career didn’t start the way he hoped. Castellanos struggled to the tune of a .694 OPS, his lowest as a full-time player, then missed time due to an oblique strain that September before scuffling in a postseason in which Philadelphia made a World Series run.

Castellanos rebounded in a strong 2023 season, making the All-Star team while belting 29 home runs, driving in 106 runs and posting a .788 OPS. All the while, Castellanos seemed to endear himself to the Phillies’ fanbase, both for his heartwarming interactions with his son Liam as well as for his improved play and tell-it-like-it-is attitude. The ‘23 National League Division Series against the heavily-favored, 104-win Braves provided Castellanos an opportunity to endear himself even further to the fanbase.

Exorcising the postseason demons of old, Castellanos became the first player to record consecutive multi-homer games in the postseason, sending Phillies fans into a frenzy while powering the club to an NLDS triumph.

But hiding under the big power moments that fueled him to stardom, there were still some concerns. He appeared in all 162 games for the Phillies in 2024, but posted just a 104 OPS+, meaning he was merely four percent better than a league average hitter. The defensive metrics showed he was a below average defensive player in the outfield.

As such, the Phillies began to look for ways to platoon some of Castellanos’s time in the outfield, particularly late in games with a defensive replacement.

The Miami incident changes things

It was just such a substitution that prompted a scene in Miami that has been brought back into the spotlight after Castellanos’s departure. During a June 16 game against the Marlins, Phillies manager Rob Thomson replaced Castellanos in the eighth inning, drawing the ire of the veteran slugger. As recent reports revealed, Castellanos proceeded to bring a beer into the Phillies’ clubhouse, where he angrily confronted Thomson before the situation was de-escalated by teammates, as well as Phillies special assistant Howie Kendrick, whom Castellanos thanked in his letter to Phillies fans following his release. Castellanos was benched the next day.

Even before the confrontation between Castellanos and Thomson in Miami, Phillies players had already begun to resent the veteran outfielder, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic. The so-called Miami incident seemingly only added to these sentiments.

Castellanos understandably didn’t take kindly to effectively becoming a part-time player. On the heels of a stretch that saw Castellanos penciled out of the lineup four times in a 13-game span, Thomson again removed the former All-Star for defensive purposes late in an Aug. 29 game.

Castellanos admitted the transition was difficult for him and, when asked how he handles it, responded by saying, “The best I can.”

While speaking to reporters in September, Castellanos dismissed the notion that he was unhappy but criticized Thomson, stating that “communication over the years has been questionable.”

Castellanos’s ire with Thomson and Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long seemed to stem from the fact that the two had never played in the majors, according to The Athletic.

From the outside, Castellanos didn’t appear to be a bad teammate. He developed a sort of iron man reputation, having played in 147 or more games in three of four seasons with the Phillies. Following relief pitcher Orion Kerkering’s crucial error in a season-ending loss to the Dodgers in the ‘25 NLDS, Castellanos was one of the first players to console the distraught pitcher.

So while the Miami incident certainly seemed to change the perspective of Phillies players’ attitude towards Castellanos, his release from Philadelphia had more to do with the fact that the two sides were no longer a good fit for each other, as president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski alluded to.

“I know a lot is being said about this incident in Miami,” Dombrowski said, according to MLB.com. “I don’t think it’s necessarily one incident. I just think sometimes you’re in a situation where you’re around day in and day out, things just don’t work at a particular time.”

Simply put, it was time for a change.

How Castellanos fits with the Padres

Castellanos, who owns a career .272 batting average and .785 OPS, will cost the Padres just $780,000 this season. That’s a bargain for what Castellanos can provide at the plate.

While the corner outfield spots are filled in San Diego by the likes of superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. and Ramon Laureano, Castellanos could give either man a night off with an occasional appearance in the outfield. However, much of his time is likely to be spent at designated hitter.

According to Dennis Lin of The Athletic, the righty-swinging Castellanos could also see time at first base in a platoon with the lefty-swinging Gavin Sheets. While Castellanos has never played first base in the majors, it’s a position he has reportedly been preparing to play, per Lin.

Landing with the Padres, who have won 90 or more games in each of the last two seasons, provides Castellanos an opportunity to rebound at the plate, rehabilitate his standing around baseball and compete for a World Series.

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