Padres’ Nick Castellanos Reflects on Tumultuous Phillies Tenure

The San Diego Padres were able to bring in former All-Star outfielder Nick Castellanos this offseason on a veteran's minimum deal following his controversial exit with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Castellanos was released by Philadelphia after months of rumors surrounding his exit, and San Diego quickly grabbed him for the 2026 season.

It's not often that a former All-Star hits the market like this, so the Padres had no reason to not give him an opportunity. But his time with the Phillies was a little strange, especially with how it ended.

Despite the way things ended with the Phillies, it seems that the outfielder doesn't hold ill will with the organization. In fact, he looked back on his time in Philadelphia with a good mindset, even with everything that went down.

"I mean, other than us not winning a World Series, there was a lot of winning. We went to the playoffs four years in a row. You know, were there ups, were there downs? I think, also, I learned about myself that I have the ability to hold on to a grudge. Like, to not forget things if I feel that things were done wrong," Castellanos said to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

However, Castellanos said toward the end of his tenure in Philadelphia, he started to lose his love for the game of baseball.

"I think Philadelphia also was the first time where there were times where it really felt like a job — baseball, you know?," Castellanos said. "And that was a new space, because now, OK, you might not have the same childhood enthusiasm to get up and play, but you still have a responsibility to the person that’s signing your checks to show up, work and take pride in your job.

"That was something I had to learn how to do because up until that point, I’ve never had a job before."

Right after he was released, Castellanos had his reputation questioned around baseball. A report came out stating that he had brought a beer into the dugout during a game last season, and this started a rift between him and the organization.

The veteran had one more year left on his contract with the Phillies, but the organization decided to release him and pay out his contract without him playing for the team. However, it seems that even with all the tension between the two sides, Castellanos was prepared to return for the final season.

"I was fully prepared to go back there. I never made any demands," Castellanos said. "There were articles coming out, saying — again, from media — that I will be traded or I will be released. So I remember, I have a relationship with [president of baseball operations] Dave Dombrowski that goes back to my teenage years. I said, ‘Hey, I’m seeing these articles. Just know, no hard feelings if this is something you need to do.’ Like, I can use a fresh start. It’s not something that he’s gonna feel like he cut my legs out from under me.

"But that being said, if he said, 'No, we see you as a platoon guy. We need you in there.' Then I would have [said], ‘All right.’ At the end of the day, I’m the one that signed that contract, so as a professional, I’m going to honor that contract.

"But apparently there were probably conversations in the organization that they thought that it would be best for that organization if my personality — because even though I don’t think I ever produced as much as I would like to, I never thought that I was a complete black hole of production — but they probably thought that my personality was not a productive one for the organization.

"And they have the right to think that. It’s not my organization. It’s Mr. [John] Middleton’s organization, and Dave has been given the keys to run it as he sees fit."

Now with the Padres, Castellanos has been trying to put his time in Philadelphia behind him. But his tenure with San Diego hasn't gone to plan thus far.

Across 20 games, the veteran is hitting just .153 with one home run, nine runs batted in and an OPS of .460. Castellanos hasn't been given a consistent role with the team, and he has said that this is playing into his struggles.

But the veteran isn't needed every day like he was with the Phillies, and this has been a major adjustment for him. However, all he can do is stay ready for whenever his name is called, and the Padres will try to put him in a place to succeed.

San Diego wants to win a World Series this season, and they could always move on from Castellanos if he doesn't pick things up. So, for his sake, finding a nice rhythm between his playing time and when he sits will be crucial to his chances of remaining with the group.

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