Padres’ naivety about Nick Castellanos will have Phillies fans rolling their eyes

After the Philadelphia Phillies released outfielder Nick Castellanos last week, he found a home just two days later. With any team able to sign Castellanos for the league minimum, the San Diego Padres picked up Castellanos to play outfield and the occasional first base. Castellanos will now play for another NL contender in hopes of postseason success. It's a low-risk move for the Padres, but the club seems to have some expectations of the troubled veteran.

It's not a surprise for a club to take a flier on Castellanos, considering the Phillies are picking up $19.22 million of the $20 million tab on his 2026 salary. The Phillies tried to work him into a trade but failed to find any kind of suitor. His departure from Philadelphia was ugly, resulting in the Phillies being willing to eat the rest of his contract.

Padres players are excited about Castellanos joining the fold. Meanwhile, Phillies fans can only roll their eyes at their expectations of how his personality will jive with their clubhouse.

Padres looking the other way on Nick Castellanos' behavior with Phillies

Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill was asked by the media how well he believes Castellanos will fit into their clubhouse.

“Nick can be himself, and he can do whatever he wants in our clubhouse,” Merrill said. "That's his personal choice. 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. I think he's going to come in here, and we're all going to look at him as a new human being, you know?

"I don't really care or dive in too deep what he did over there. 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."

Doing whatever he wants is quite the statement to make after Castellanos' best judgment has proven to be less than tasteful when it comes to handling the clubhouse. Merrill is just reflecting on his club acquiring him, but the Padres won't immediately change what kind of player Castellanos has shown himself to be.

Padres star third baseman Manny Machado, who has known Castellanos since they were kids, also shared his thoughts on the signing.

"Talk about getting a $20 million player for pennies on the dollar … deserves an extension for A.J. [Preller]," Machado said, referring to the Padres' president of baseball operations and general manager.

Ironically enough, Preller received a multi-year extension the following day. However, it probably wasn't because of Castellanos. It was pennies on the dollar, and good on the Padres for getting him cheap. But that doesn't change the fact that an MLB club like the Phillies had to come to that decision because he became a toxic presence.

Phillies fans saw it firsthand. Everyone witnessed in real time the Miami incident back last June. Castellanos had a career-worst season in 2025 in most categories. By the end of the year, he had turned into a player who couldn't hit, had atrocious defensive metrics, and was reluctant to play in any kind of platoon role.

Castellanos hit .250 with a .694 OPS in 2025, which ranked 36th out of 41 qualified outfielders. Not many teams in MLB can afford to hire an average-hitting part-time DH with a growing track record of questionable behavior, but the Padres seem to be one of them.