Nick Castellanos landed in San Diego on Saturday, just 48 hours after the Philadelphia Phillies released him and everything that went wrong between them became public. The Padres are paying him the league minimum of $780,000. The Phillies are paying the other $19.22 million.
That financial arrangement tells you everything about how quickly a two-time All-Star can crater when the bat slows down and the clubhouse turns against him.
For Castellanos, the path to San Diego runs through a dugout in Miami last June, where he brought a beer after being pulled for defensive purposes and confronted manager Rob Thomson in front of teammates. The 33-year-old acknowledged as much in a handwritten letter posted to Instagram after his release.
Padres Bet on Castellanos as DH/First Base/Outfield Hybrid
The Padres are betting on what’s left. They’ve got an outfield locked down with Fernando Tatis Jr. in right, Jackson Merrill in center, and Ramón Laureano in left. Castellanos won’t be displacing any of them. Instead, first-year manager Craig Stammen plans to deploy him as a DH/first base/outfield hybrid, competing for at-bats with recently signed Miguel Andujar and first baseman Gavin Sheets.
It’s a far cry from the everyday role Castellanos had in Philadelphia, where he started every game in 2024 before being reduced to a platoon with Max Kepler last season. But Merrill, the Padres’ 22-year-old center fielder, made clear that San Diego isn’t dwelling on the Philadelphia drama.
“I think he’s going to come in here, and we’re all going to look at him as a new human being,” Merrill said Saturday. “That was the Phillies, and we’re the San Diego Padres. I’m just happy to have him.”
The Padres need the help. They finished 28th in home runs and 22nd in slugging percentage last season. Their offense was built on contact and defense rather than power, and even with Tatis, Manny Machado, and Xander Bogaerts in the lineup, they struggled to generate the kind of extra-base damage that wins in October.
Castellanos has averaged 23 home runs over the past three seasons. Even at his worst, he represents an upgrade over the fringe options San Diego was auditioning for bench spots.
Why the Phillies Let Castellanos Go
What happened in Philadelphia defies easy explanation. The Phillies signed Castellanos to a five-year, $100 million contract after his monster 2021 season with the Cincinnati Reds, when he hit .309 with 34 home runs and a .939 OPS. They got 0.8 fWAR and a perfectly average 100 wRC+ over four seasons. His 2025 campaign was his worst: .250/.294/.400 with 17 home runs and a .694 OPS.
Per FanGraphs, his minus-0.6 fWAR was the lowest among all qualified hitters in baseball.
His defense in right field was brutal. His minus-32 Outs Above Average over four seasons ranked among the worst of any defender in baseball, per Baseball Savant. The Phillies had signed him expecting some DH time, but with Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper occupying that spot at various points, Castellanos was stuck in the outfield, exposed on every ball hit his way.
The frustration boiled over in Miami. When Thomson removed him from a close game for defensive purposes on June 16, Castellanos brought a beer into the dugout, confronted the coaching staff, and questioned their authority. Teammates interceded. Special assistant Howie Kendrick took the bottle from his hands. The next day, Castellanos was benched.
“The conversation ended with me apologizing for letting my emotions get the best of me,” Castellanos wrote in his letter. “I love this game. I love being a teammate and I am addicted to winning. I will learn from this.”
Castellanos Leaves Behind a Complicated Legacy in Philadelphia
The Phillies moved on months ago. They signed Adolis García to a one-year, $10 million deal in December to replace him. They tried to trade Castellanos all winter but found no takers willing to absorb any portion of his salary. When spring training opened and the relationship remained unsalvageable, they released him outright.
Now they’re paying him $19.22 million to play for a division rival. The Padres visit Citizens Bank Park on June 2.
Castellanos has 250 career home runs and 1,742 hits across 13 seasons. He’s been an All-Star twice, won a Silver Slugger, and delivered some of the biggest postseason moments in recent Phillies history, including becoming the first player in postseason history to have back-to-back multi-homer games in the 2023 NLDS against the Atlanta Braves.
None of that mattered in the end. What matters now is whether he can still hit, and whether a new city with lower expectations can unlock whatever he has left. The Padres are willing to find out at a cost of $780,000. The Phillies are paying the rest.