The Philadelphia Phillies officially moved on from right fielder Nick Castellanos after they released him on Feb. 12. The native of Hialeah, Florida, was a free agent for a couple of days as the San Diego Padres signed him to a one-year deal on Feb. 15.
It didn't take long after signing for Castellanos to begin to take thinly veiled shots at his former manager Rob Thomson and hitting coach Kevin Long. Now after being with his new club for almost two weeks, Castellanos still has an axe to grind and doesn’t appear ready to move on from his experience in Philadelphia. He has again seemingly taken more shots at Thomson while commenting on his new manager Craig Stammen.
Nick Castellanos continues to take veiled shots at Phillies' Rob Thomson and Kevin Long
This week, Castellanos appeared on The Ben & Woods Show on 93.7 The Fan and spoke about his new manager Craig Stammen and many of the club's other coaches.
"I have a lot of good relationships with the coaches just because they all have been playing recently," Castellanos said. "I really enjoy talking to coaches that have put it down within the last decade. Their emotions are still intact. They talk to you from a physical standpoint, but there's also a lot of emotional relatability there because they're still connected."
Stammen certainly has more recent playing experience than Thomson and Long, and played in the majors. He played for the Washington Nationals from 2009 to 2015 and with the Padres from 2017 to 2022. Thomson played in the minors with the Detroit Tigers franchise from 1985 to 1988, while Long's minor league career with the Kansas City Royals organization lasted from 1989 to 1996.
The Athletic's Matt Gelb dissected in his Phillies-Castellanos falling out piece (subscription required) that the veteran didn't trust or care for playing for Thomson or Long as both never played in the majors.
"Numerous players had grievances with management regarding strategy or usage; these were usually expressed in private settings. Castellanos was different. He was most outward with his disdain for two people, Thomson and hitting coach Kevin Long. He did not trust them, he told teammates, because they had never played in the majors," Gelb wrote.
Castellanos said the following about Stammen on his first day in camp with the Padres, per The San Diego-Union Tribune's Annie Heilbrunn.
"He's very passionate as far as how much he cares,” Castellanos said, per Heilbrunn. “And he's a player. He's done it. He's put on spikes, he's grinded, he's felt the feeling of success, and he's also felt the feeling, you know, when the game doesn't go your way. So there's a lot of respect in that."
Nick Castellanos on #Padres manager Craig Stammen: "He's very passionate as far as how much he cares ... And he's a player. He's done it. He's put on spikes, he's grinded, he's felt the feeling of success, and he's also felt the feeling, you know, when the game doesn't go your…
— Annie Heilbrunn (@annieheilbrunn) February 15, 2026
One can infer from his comments that Castellanos has more respect for those coaches who have played more recently and have made it to the major league level. Of course, according to Gelb, the veteran wasn't keen on signing with the Phillies to begin with.
Castellanos signed in Philadelphia in 2022, as no other team made as big a contract offer as the Phillies and the right fielder had the potential to play for a championship contender.
Castellanos still doesn't appear to be past his issues with the Phillies' Thomson and Long, as he's continuing to take indirect shots at both for never having played in the majors. Just because neither made it to the majors doesn't necessarily mean they don't have value as coaches. A whole Phillies clubhouse would certainly make the case for both of their abilities in their roles.
The divisive Castellanos has a new home with the Padres. The Phillies and their fan base are more than happy to move on, even if the outfielder hasn't yet.