Nick Castellanos will reportedly sign with the San Diego Padres, according to Dennis Lin of The Athletic.
Castellanos, 33, will serve as the team’s first baseman, designated hitter and play in the outfield.
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Castellanos entered free agency this week after being released by the Philadelphia Phillies after four seasons with the team. The team told him not to participate in spring training this week because he is not in their plans for the 2026 season.
The veteran has $20 million remaining on his $100 million contract, allowing the Padres to sign him for the major league minimum of $780,000.
Castellanos has played his final games for the Phillies throughout the offseason, including when the team signed new right fielder Adolis Garcia. Castellanos most recently earned All-Star honors in 2023, but he was below replacement level in 2025, slashing 250/.294/.400 with right field defense that ranked second in Baseball Experts’ fielding run value.
“A lot of times when a good player’s role changes within the clubhouse, it can cause some friction, and his role changed last year,” Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said this week. “I mean, you play every day for years and years, so sometimes that can contribute to that. Sometimes people get into arguments and they don’t see eye to eye. But when you put it all together, sometimes you just have to make sure you have a different landscape.”
Castellanos posted a handwritten letter on social media Thursday to say goodbye to Phillies fans. In it, he admitted that he brought a bottle of beer into the dugout during a game in Miami in June after he was escorted off the field by head coach Rob Thomson in the presence of friends and family.
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Castellanos said he later met with Thomson and Dombrowski and the conversation ended with him apologizing.
That incident caused Castellanos to sit out one game and was in the midst of a streak of 236 consecutive starts.
Thomson said Friday he was pleased to see Castellanos admit his mistake.
“I’m proud of him because he acknowledged what he did and, hey, we all make mistakes,” Thomson said. “Nick has helped us in a lot of ways. He’s had some great games and helped us win a lot of games. So I do, I wish him the best.”