Nick Castellanos is reportedly signing with the San Diego Padres, according to The Athletic’s Dennis Lin.
The 33-year-old Castellanos will serve as the team’s first baseman, designated hitter and play in the outfield.
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Castellanos was available on the free agent market after being released by the Philadelphia Phillies this week after four seasons with the team. The team told him not to report to spring training this week as he was not in their plans for the 2026 season.
The veteran is owed the $20 million remaining on his $100 million contract, which allows the Padres to sign him for the $780,000 major league minimum.
The writing had been on the wall all offseason that Castellanos had already played his last game for the Phillies, including when the team signed new right fielder Adolis García. Castellanos earned All-Star honors as recently as 2023, but he was below replacement level in 2025, slashing 250/.294/.400 with the second-worst defense in right field by Baseball Savant’s Fielding Run Value.
“A lot of times when a good player has their role change with the club, it can cause some friction, and his role changed last year from where it was,” said Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski this week. “I mean you played every single day for a lot years in a row, and so sometimes that can contribute to it. Sometimes then people have debates between themselves where they’re not all on the same page. But when you put all that together, sometimes you just need to make sure that you have a change of scenery.”
In a goodbye message to Phillies fans, Castellanos posted a handwritten letter on social media on Thursday. In it, he admitted that he brought a beer into the dugout after being removed from a June game in Miami by manager Rob Thomson with friends and family in attendance.
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Castellanos said that he met with Thomson and Dombrowski afterward where the conversation ended with him apologizing.
That incident led to a one-game benching for Castellanos, who was in the midst of a streak in which he started 236 consecutive games.
Thomson said on Friday he was happy to see Castellanos admit his mistake.
“I’m proud of him because he owned up to what he did and, hey, we all make mistakes,” Thomson said. “Nick had helped us out in a lot of ways here. He’s had some big hits and big plays and helped us win a lot ballgames. So I do, I wish him all the best.”
