Phillies take most drastic route to officially end awkward Nick Castellanos saga

We all knew this day would come. Just a couple of days into spring training, the Philadelphia Phillies put an end to the drawn-out drama with Nick Castellanos, announcing on Thursday that the veteran outfielder had been released outright, per MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. Despite hanging onto Castellanos all winter, the Phillies were unable to find a willing trade partner and finally had to cut bait.

Cutting ties with Castellanos was the inevitable outcome this offseason. Still, the Phillies will be on the hook for most of his $20 million salary in 2026 if he signs a league-minimum MLB deal elsewhere. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski had been trying to save at least some of that money with a trade. But without a buyer he was forced to send the soon-to-be 34-year-old on his way after repeatedly confirming that the team would move on before the season.

The Phillies signed Adolis García to a one-year, $10 million contract in December. If it wasn't sealed before, that move did, with the Phillies publicly stating that García would be their new right fielder.

Phillies officially move on from Nick Castellanos after four rollercoaster years

Castellanos had a tumultuous run in Philadelphia, both on and off the field, after signing a five-year, $20 million contract before the 2022 season. Coming off a career year with the Cincinnati Reds in the hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park, Phillies fans were excited for the right fielder's addition to the lineup.

Unfortunately, Castellanos' tenure started out on the wrong foot in 2022 when he hit .263 with a .694 OPS and just 13 home runs (he had 34 in 2021) in 136 games. He redeemed himself with a 29-homer, 106-RBI season the following year, earning his second career All-Star nod.

After playing in all 162 games in 2024, he was eventually relegated to a platoon role in 2025 and hit .250 with a .694 OPS, 17 home runs, and 72 RBIs in 147 games. He finished the year with the lowest fWAR (-0.6) among all qualified hitters. He had a .260 average over his Phillies career, with a .732 OPS, 82 home runs, and 326 RBIs in 602 games.

While Castellanos had some big moments at the plate for the Phillies, with clutch hits in both the regular season and playoffs, his defense was constantly under scrutiny. He was consistently ranked as one of the weakest outfield defenders in the majors, based on advanced metrics like outs above average (OAA) and fielding run value (FRV).

Castellanos has his quirks and became known for his candid, entertaining, and sometimes prickly demeanor during interviews. During the course of the 2025 season, his relationship with Phillies manager Rob Thomson became "strained." Castellanos was famously benched in June for "crossing a line with Thomson after the skipper removed him late in a game for defensive reasons.

He also indicated near the end of the season that Thomson's "communication over the years has been questionable."

Whatever faults Castellanos had, he proved himself to be a good teammate. He was the first one to get to Orion Kerkering at the end of the NLDS last fall, sprinting in to console the distraught reliever after he made the series-ending error.

Without a $20 million price tag hanging around his neck, it seems likely that some team will bring Castellanos aboard on a cheap contract. That is unless they're wary of his potential effect on the clubhouse. He has been preparing to possibly return to his roots as an infielder, widening the range of his possible landing spots. Wherever he winds up, it will surely be a moment to watch when he makes his first trip back to Philadelphia.