Phillies Release Nick Castellanos
The Philadelphia Phillies have finally reached the decision to release outfielder Nick Castellanos. The move comes after months of speculation about his impending exit from the organization. Castellanos signed a…
The Philadelphia Phillies have finally reached the decision to release outfielder Nick Castellanos. The move comes after months of speculation about his impending exit from the organization.
Castellanos signed a five-year contract worth $100 million entering the 2022 season. He played 602 regular-season and 38 playoff games in four seasons in Philadelphia. He finished with 127 total home runs and 346 RBI. His 100 OPS+ placed him exactly at league average cumulatively the past four regular seasons.
The Phillies owe Castellanos the entirety of his $20 million salary in 2026.
Phillies Release Nick Castellanos
Front office executives almost never speak as transparently about moving on from a player as Dave Dombrowski spoke this offseason about Castellanos.
The Phillies considered trading the pricey right fielder after the 2023 and 2024 seasons, and disagreements reached the point of conflict in 2025.
Rob Thomson submitted to Castellanos’ goal to play all 162 regular-season games in 2024, despite the player's significant struggles in the season’s early months.
Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty ImagesCastellanos handled adjustments to his playing time in 2025 with questionable self-evaluations of his offense and defense. The situation escalated during a June altercation in Miami between Castellanos and Thomson that reportedly “disgusted” other players and coaches.
Serious deficiencies in the veteran righty's plate approach and outfield defense left the Phillies with an obvious solution to limit Castellanos to a platoon role in August and September 2025. He responded with public criticism of the manager’s communication. Thomson had previously mentioned to the media that he had communicated a plan about his upcoming outfield decisions with Castellanos and other players directly involved.
The 33-year-old drove home three runs during the National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He finished with a .133 playoff batting average, however, after Harrison Bader's injury forced him into extra at-bats. His most memorable Red October moments came on sliding outfield catches during the trek to the 2022 World Series and a hot streak in the early rounds of the 2023 MLB Postseason.
The Phillies will enter 2026 with Adolis Garcia as their expected everyday right fielder. The former Texas Rangers slugger signed a one-year contract worth $10 million.
