PEORIA, Ariz. — Two days after a high-profile split with the Philadelphia Phillies, veteran outfielder Nick Castellanos is headed across the country after agreeing to sign with the San Diego Padres, league sources told The Athletic on Saturday.
Castellanos, who turns 34 next month, is expected to see time at first base, in the outfield and as designated hitter with the Padres, the sources said. The outspoken two-time All-Star has never played first base in his professional career, though he trained there this offseason in preparation for a long-anticipated exit from Philadelphia.
The Phillies released Castellanos on Thursday after attempting for months to move the one year and $20 million left on his contract. League sources said San Diego, seeking more offense, was among the teams that engaged in recent trade talks with Philadelphia about a potential salary dump. Now, pending a physical exam, the Padres will owe Castellanos only the $780,000 major-league minimum.
Philadelphia was willing to cover the rest for a player the club no longer employs. Castellanos parlayed his first All-Star season into a $100 million deal four years ago, when he was with the Cincinnati Reds. Since then, Castellanos has appeared in the 2023 All-Star Game, provided league-average offense and struggled in right field as his relationships with coaches and teammates deteriorated.
In response to reporting by The Athletic’s Matt Gelb on Thursday that had not yet been published, Castellanos offered details of the night he brought a beer into the Phillies dugout during a June game against the Miami Marlins. He said he apologized the same evening, adding that the team instructed him not to discuss the incident with reporters the next day.
“I love this game, I love being a teammate and I am addicted to winning,” Castellanos wrote in a letter he posted on Instagram. “I will learn from this.”
Club sources told Gelb that the incident was indicative of a rift with the Phillies that grew after Castellanos became a platoon player.
The Padres are willing to deploy Castellanos as something less than an everyday option because their budget is limited and their lineup needs power. Castellanos, a former third baseman with 250 career home runs, could share first base with the left-handed-hitting Gavin Sheets, spell the team’s corner outfielders and serve as a part-time designated hitter.
San Diego officials hope that Castellanos will boost the team’s production against left-handed pitching while tempering his outsize personality in a contract year. Castellanos has at least earned a reputation as a hard worker and postseason veteran. After incurring minimal costs, the Padres could release him if the experiment fizzles. Still, Castellanos represents a risk.
In Philadelphia, Gelb reported, Castellanos bristled against perceived disrespect, vocally challenged his manager and other coaches, and prompted teammates to debate whether he was a team player. In San Diego, he will again be an aging former All-Star sharing a clubhouse with bigger stars, including third baseman Manny Machado, right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr., shortstop Xander Bogaerts and center fielder Jackson Merrill, all of whom have nine-figure contracts.
“I think what he did in the other clubhouse has nothing to do with us, and I don’t think it’s going to carry over, either,” Merrill said. “I think he’s going to come in here and we’re all going to look at him as another human being, you know? I don’t really care or dive in too deep, like what he did over there, because that was the Phillies, and we’re the San Diego Padres. I’m just happy to have him in a new clubhouse, see his vibe, and see what he does to help us.”
“Some of the stuff that you saw go on (in) Miami is just a personal decision on his part, and I think you saw him make his apologies for it,” starting pitcher Joe Musgrove said. “But in the heat of the moment, you know, guys get frustrated. I’m never going to hold it against someone. Sometimes, getting in a new atmosphere and a fresh group of guys can re-spark something in you.”
“It’s a guy that’s had a lot of success in this league,” Sheets said. “When you look at it from a team aspect, it’s a guy that can definitely help us.”
Rookie manager Craig Stammen was among the Padres officials who met with Castellanos virtually on Friday, team sources said. A day later, Stammen spoke generally about the club’s latest acquisitions because the signings of Castellanos and Griffin Canning were not yet official.
“That’s what (Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller) has been probably talking about … a lot here over the last couple of weeks, is trying to find that extra arm, that extra bat,” Stammen said. “But whenever you’re adding big-league talent, guys that have been in the league for a while, that have proven that they can have success at this level, it makes your team better.”