CLEARWATER, Fla. – Nick Castellanos’ relationship with the Phillies had soured, even before he brought a beer into the dugout in Miami last June.
It wasn’t the only act of gross subordination that night at loanDepot park. But Castellanos’ actions in Miami pushed the Phillies into releasing their $100 million right fielder on Thursday. Castellanos is owed $20 million this year, but the Phillies are paying him to go away.
“I think that we all felt that was probably in the best interest, to have a change of scenery,” Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said at BayCare Ballpark.
The Phillies had tried to trade Castellanos each of the previous two offseasons, in part because they felt it would shake up their lineup and clubhouse. They found scant interest.
Then, Miami happened.
“I know a lot is being said about this incident in Miami,” Dombrowski said. “I don’t think it’s necessarily one incident. I just think sometimes you’re in a situation where you’re around day in and day out, things just don’t work at a particular time.”
Castellanos had become frustrated at times with how he was handled. He bristled at where he hit in the lineup.
He was never afraid to share his feelings.
But, on June 16, it went too far. The Phillies held a 3-1 lead against the Marlins entering the bottom of the eighth inning. Phillies manager Rob Thomson removed Castellanos from the game for defensive purposes. Thomson had been asked countless times in the past about removing Castellanos for defense in a close game. Castellanos’ -12 Outs Above Average last season tied for last among 110 outfielders.
Previously, Thomson had declined to make a change. But that night in Miami, he did.
In a letter posted to Instagram, Castellanos acknowledged he brought a beer into the dugout after he got removed from the game. Multiple sources also said that Castellanos harshly confronted Thomson and other coaches in the dugout, questioning their right to remove him from a game because they lacked extensive big league playing time.
“I then sat right next to Rob and let him know that too much slack in some areas and too tight of restrictions and others are not conducive to us winning,” Castellanos wrote. “Shoutout to my teammates and Howie [Kendrick] for taking the beer out of my hands before I could take a sip.”
Castellanos said he met after the game with Thomson and Dombrowski.
“The conversation ended with me apologizing for letting my emotions get the best of me,” Castellanos wrote.
Castellanos was benched the next game. Eventually, he fell into a platoon role in right field with Max Kepler. Asked about his new role in Arizona in September, Castellanos questioned Thomson’s communication skills.
“I don’t really talk to Rob all that often,” he said then. “So that’s just, I play whenever he tells me to play and then I sit whenever he tells me to sit. … Communication over the years has been questionable, at least in my experience. But also I grew up communicating with somebody like my father, which is very blunt, direct and consistent.”
The relationship between the organization and the player could not be saved. Dombrowski said they made no attempt to reconcile their differences following the season to see if there might be a path forward in 2026. The Phillies signed Adolis García to a one-year, $10 million contract in December to be his replacement.
“A lot of times when a good player has their role change with the club, it can cause some friction,” Dombrowski said. “And his role changed last year from where it was. I mean, he played every single day for a lot of years in a row. So sometimes that can contribute to it. Sometimes, then people have debates between themselves where they're not all on the same page. But when you put all that together, sometimes you just need to make sure that you have a change of scenery.”
The Phillies tried this winter to trade him again. They got nibbles, but talks never advanced.
They couldn’t keep trying anymore. The Phils will have their first full-squad workout on Monday.
It was time to move on.
“It just hasn’t worked out,” Dombrowski said. “At some point, you just have to say, well, this isn’t going to work. We felt that we need to get a change of scenery for Nick and wish him nothing but the best. He did a lot of good things for our organization. He was here for four years. We won every year he was here. He got a lot of big hits for us.”
Castellanos batted .250 with 17 home runs, 72 RBIs and a .694 OPS last season. In four seasons with the Phillies, he batted a combined .260 with a .732 OPS and a 100 OPS+, making him a league-average offensive performer. His -32 OAA ranked 261st out of 267 qualified defenders.
Castellanos made the 2023 NL All-Star team. He had big moments in the postseason.
He got cheered at times. He got booed.
His relationship with his son Liam became a feel-good story in 2022 and beyond.
Castellanos thanked Phillies owner John Middleton, Dombrowski, the coaching staff, his teammates and Phillies fans in his letter on Instagram.
His four-page letter ended with this:
“I love this game. I love being a teammate and I am addicted to winning. I will learn from this.”