Phillies response to Castellanos departure still leaves gigantic question unanswered

The conclusion to the Philadelphia Phillies’ Nick Castellanos mess continues to make headlines. Since the end of the Phillies’ season last October, it appeared likely that the right fielder would not return in what would've been the last season of the five-year contract he signed before the 2022 season. Following his release on Feb. 12, one gigantic question still remains unanswered.

What exactly did Castellanos say to manager Rob Thomson after being removed from a game last June 16th? What was the “inappropriate comment” that crossed a line?

Phillies president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski, Kyle Schwarber, and Thomson commented about Castellanos' release and the handwritten farewell letter and wild revelations about the “Miami incident” last June the outfielder posted on Instagram.

Phillies respond to Nick Castellanos’ release but we still have no idea what was said last June

On Pattison's Tim Kelly asked Dombrowski about the personal aspect of the release of Castellanos due to the executive drafting the outfielder in 2010 when he was the general manager of the Detroit Tigers, and signing him to Philadelphia in 2022.

"I've known [Nick] for a long time; he's been a very good player, he's had a nice career, so he's done a lot of good things and probably will continue to do so," Dombrowski said. "Things happened, things changed over a 15-year period, [but] I've still had a good relationship with Nick and his family members. You always wish that things end up on a good point a la Ranger Suárez when he's leaving and he's pitching very well, but it doesn't always happen, not only here but life in general."

Schwarber also gave a classy response when asked about Castellanos’ departure and the outfielder's revealing farewell letter.

"I saw [his handwritten letter Instagram post].” Schwarber said, per MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. "It is what it is, right? I think the biggest thing is that we all wish him the best. We’ve had a lot of really good memories here over the last four years, and he’s had some really big moments with us and we wish him the best moving forward. Like, it is what it is, but hopefully, wherever he goes next, he’s able to keep going out there, keep doing this thing and keep having those big moments.”

Phillies Nation’s Destiny Lugardo reported on Thomson’s comments about Castellanos' letter.

"I'm proud of him because he owned up to what he did," Thomson said. "Hey, we all make mistakes. Mine are well documented."

However, one question remains unanswered and will remain so, at least for now. Following Castellanos' removal from a June 16 game in Miami, he wasn't in the lineup for the next contest on June 17 after he made an inappropriate comment that “crossed as line” to Thomson for taking him out of the game.

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer's Lochlahn March, after his benching last June Castellanos told media why he was held out of the lineup but didn’t give specifics about what he had said to Thomson that crossed a line.

“I wasn't happy about it, spoke my mind. He said that I crossed a line. So my punishment is I'm not playing."

We know Castellanos, now infamously, brought a beer into the dugout after being pulled for defensive reasons on June 16. We know he gave Thomson a piece of his mind. And we know that he, Thomson, and Dombrowski aired out out in the office after the game.

But we still haven’t learned what exactly was said and you can safely bet it won’t be anyone from the Phillies’ side to spill the beans.

The situation with Castellanos has come to an end, even though his comment to Thomson won't be revealed. It doesn't need to be. One can surmise what the outfielder said to be held out of the game in June last year.