Credit: AP Photo

Is recently released Nick Castellanos a viable option for the San Diego Padres? 

The Philadelphia Phillies released outfielder Nick Castellanos this week.

The team notified the Hialeah native not to attend spring training. And with that, the saga between the team and the player ended. Castellanos finished his Phillies career with a .732 OPS and 82 home runs in four years in Philadelphia.

The former all-star had a very controversial time in Philadelphia after signing a five-year, $100 million contract. His Phillies tenure was bookended by two disappointing seasons where he hit for a .694 OPS. In 2023, Castellanos was selected for the National League All-Star team and finished the year with a .788 OPS, hitting 29 home runs and driving in 106 runs.

On Thursday, Castellanos posted a handwritten letter to his Instagram. It came with a handwritten explanation of a Miami incident that he noted would be published in an upcoming article. In his thank you letter, he thanked all of the team’s staff, teammates, and emphasized the fans’ support for him and his son. In his letter referring to “the Miami incident”, Castellanos describes a moment where he was taken out of a close game in his hometown of Miami and broke a rule by bringing a beer into the Phillies dugout.

He explained that he sat next to manager Rob Thomson and commented on slack and strictness in different areas of how the team was being run. Castellanos thanks his teammates for taking the beer out of his hand. Castellanos explains that post-game, he, Rob Thomson, and executive Dave Dombrowski met in the manager’s office and aired their grievances. The meeting, as told by Castellanos, ended with him apologizing. He was benched in the subsequent game as punishment for the incident. He goes on to explain that he was ready to address the incident the following day, but was instructed by the organization not to.

Obviously, a player of Nick Castellanos’ skillset is a bit of a difficult fit, as he is now more of a true designated hitter. Castellanos’ outfield defense has been heavily scrutinized as one of the worst in the league. 

Nick Castellanos is being released by Phillies. Potential fits may include Padres, Jays, A’s, Rangers, Reds. Uncertain where interest lies.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 12, 2026

The San Diego Padres find themselves in a position where they have a full lineup but might benefit from one more bat.

As of now, the Padres have Gavin Sheets slated to play first base full-time with Miguel Andujar at designated hitter. Adding Castellanos gives the team a platoon option with Sheets for left-handed hitters, as Castellanos has publicly stated he is willing to learn to play first base.

Manager Craig Stammen stated that Miguel Andujar will also be getting reps at first base. Castellanos, as recently as 2024, had an .830 OPS against southpaws. The outfielder’s propensity to pull the ball in the air is something that may very well be a benefit to the Padres. With a more limited role, more success could be tapped into by Castellanos.

In the clubhouse, it is hard to say what exactly Nick Castellanos brings to the team.

Publicly, he has always been a straight shooter and constantly talks about his desire to win. His relationship with Padres star Manny Machado could be closely looked at, as they came up in the draft together. They also played for Team USA before the draft, and are both from Hialeah, Florida. His fiery attitude is also one that could bring some much-needed energy that the team has seemingly missed since the departure of Jurickson Profar.

Considering that all it would require to sign Nick Castellanos is a league minimum deal, the Padres find themselves in an interesting position to sign a bounce-back candidate.

With the risk being so low, the Padres can uniquely tap into success for a player who could desperately use a change of scenery and finds himself needing to prove something. For a former star who has talked about his desire to win, this could be a marriage between team and player that reaches new heights of success.

30

East Coast Based

Dominican

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