\u201cWhat he did in the other clubhouse has nothing to do with us,\u201d Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill said. \u201cAnd I don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to carry over either. I think he is going to come in here and we\u2019re all going to look at him as a new human being. I don\u2019t really care (and haven\u2019t) dived in too deep to what he did over there because that was the Phillies and we\u2019re the San Diego Padres. I\u2019m just happy to have him in a new clubhouse, see his vibe and see what he does to help us.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Padres will pay Castellanos the major league minimum $780,000 in 2026, as the Phillies are paying the rest of his $20 million salary after releasing him earlier this week. Canning agreed to a one-year deal with a mutual option for 2027. Financial terms of his\u00a0 contract were not immediately known.<\/p>\n
Both deals are pending the completion of physicals, so manager Craig Stammen would not specifically address the additions.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s what A.J. has been talking \u2026 about a lot about here over the last couple of weeks \u2014 trying to find that extra arm, that extra bat,\u201d Stammen said. \u201cWe\u2019ll see how it shakes out here today and tomorrow. But, you know, whenever you\u2019re 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Castellanos, a right-handed hitter who has 250 career home runs, is expected to add first base to his resume with the Padres. Should that experiment work, it would give the team a complement to left-handed-hitting Gavin Sheets. Castellanos will likely also see time at designated hitter and fill in at the corner outfield spots.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a guy who has had a lot of success in this league,\u201d Sheets said. \u201cWhen you look at it from a team aspect, it\u2019s a guy that can definitely help us. I don\u2019t look at how it affects me. I just look how it affects this team, how it can help his team, and anything that helps us win a championship a little bit better then I\u2019m all for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"New](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP25156089836588.jpg\")
New York Mets starting pitcher Griffin Canning throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Dodgers on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, at Dodger Stadium. (AP Photo\/Mark J. Terrill)<\/p>\n
Canning, a 29-year-old right-hander, started 16 games for the Mets last season and 94 for the Angels between 2019 and \u201824. He brings a 4.65 ERA into this year after posting a 3.77 ERA over 76 1\/3 innings last year.\u00a0 An Achilles rupture in June ended what was to that point his finest MLB season.<\/p>\n
Canning was said to have thrown well in front of scouts last week, but there is more involved in pitching in a game than just throwing. His arrival will not affect the competition for what is likely one available spot in the starting rotation out of spring, as the Padres do not expect he will be available to pitch in major league games until some time in May.<\/p>\n