Nick Castellanos threw some serious shade at Reds owner Bob Castellini

Nick Castellanos put Reds ownership on blast after signing historic deal with Phillies

Since announcing his own signing with the Philadelphia Phillies before the media could break the news, Nick Castellanos hasn’t been shy about talking to the media.

On Monday, he put on the headset after playing five innings and hitting his first home run, and discussed the powerful Phillies lineup and gave credit to the front office and ownership:

“I mean, it’s no secret that we have a very good chance to score a lot of runs and to win a lot of baseball games. But at the end of the day, it’s the responsibility of us in the clubhouse to do it. I’ve been on a lot of teams that had this potential on paper, and we didn’t live up to it, so I know how important the execution part is. Ownership and the front office did their part, the rest is on us.”

But the biggest soundbite you might have missed was him totally putting Cincinnati Reds owner Bob Castellini on blast a few days ago:

“At the end of the day, baseball comes down to ownership. The owner either wants to invest, and cares about winning, or doesn’t. So it speaks a lot to who he is. So, Philadelphia should be pumped that that guy (John Middleton) is behind the Phillies.”

Yikes.

Here’s the full clip:

Maybe Castellanos was only trying to compliment his new boss, Phillies managing partner John Middleton, or maybe it was also intended as a jab at Castellini, but regardless of intent, it’s both.

It’s rare to hear a player talk so brazenly about team ownership, and the comments are especially noteworthy because Castellanos is the first player the Phillies have ever exceeded the luxury tax threshold to sign. Middleton always claimed that he’d be willing to pay the tax for a player who could really move the needle, and Dave Dombrowski convinced him that Castellanos was that guy.

After all those years in Cincinnati, it’s pretty crazy that Castellini didn’t see that.

The Phillies and Reds have been in the same boat for much of the last decade, playing under-.500 baseball almost every year. But after both teams won 83 games in 2021, their front offices spent the offseason constructing vastly different rosters. The Reds unloaded a vast quantity of talent and slashed their payroll, while the Phillies exceeded theirs to add a former Red, among other stars.

The Reds’ luxury tax payroll is currently $123,505,000, giving them $106,495,000 under this year’s $230M threshold, plenty of room to have competed with the Phillies’ offer to Castellanos. They chose not to.

As happy as Castellanos seems to be with the Phillies, he’s clearly not thrilled with the Reds.

Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos hit first Phillies home runs in same game [Video]

In Monday's game against the Orioles, sluggers Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber hit their first home runs as members of the Phillies.