Free agent outfielder Nick Castellanos and the San Diego Padres have come to terms on a 1 year deal worth the veteran’s minimum of $780K. Philadelphia, who owed him $20M at the time of his release earlier this week, will pick up the balance of his salary for the 2026 MLB campaign.
While Castellanos has played primarily in the outfield for his big league career, reports indicate that the Padres will see how he looks at 1st base during spring training.
The 33 year old had a rather public falling out with Phillies manager Rob Thomson last season, which resulted in him being pulled from a game, and subsequently benched as a result of off field conduct. Thomson, Castellanos and President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski then had a closed door meeting afterwards in an attempt to get everyone back on the same page.
Ultimately Philadelphia decided to move in a different direction regarding their roster, and released Castellanos two days ago.
The 13 year veteran had a down year at the plate in 2025, hitting .250 with 17 home runs, and 72 RBIs across 147 games. However, he’s displayed middle of the order power in the past hitting 29 HRs with 106 RBIs in 2023 and 34 HRs with 100 RBIs in 2021 as a member of the Phillies and Reds respectively.
Since debuting as a 21 year old with Detroit back in 2013, Castellanos has earned 2x All-Star selections and a Silver Slugger award. Currently sitting at 920 RBIs for his career, he’ll have a chance to eclipse the 1,000 RBI mark this season with the Padres if he remains healthy.
Pitchers and catchers have already reported for San Diego’s Cactus League action this winter, with the team scheduled to have their first full squad workout on Sunday February 15th.
Photo: D. Benjamin Miller. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.