The Padres announced that first baseman/outfielder Nick Castellanos has been designated for assignment. Infielder/outfielder Samad Taylor has been selected to take his place on the active and 40-man rosters.
Castellanos, 34, spent many years as a middle-of-the-order threat. Ahead of the 2022 season, the Phillies signed him to a five-year deal worth $100MM. Before that deal had run its course, Castellanos wore out his welcome in Philly. In the 2025 season, he slashed .250/.294/.400 for a wRC+ of 90. Since he’s a poor outfield defender, he was considered to be below replacement level for the year. He also clashed with then-manager Rob Thomson, which didn’t seem to help matters.
He was still signed through 2026, with a $20MM salary. It was well known throughout the winter that the Phils were looking to move on. In the end, they weren’t able to line up a trade, so Castellanos was released just as camps were opening in February. That left the Phils on the hook for the money. Any other club could sign Castellanos and would only owe him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the roster. That amount would be subtracted from what the Phillies paid.
The Padres quickly volunteered, signing Castellanos within a few days of his release. It was a low-risk move from a financial perspective but it hasn’t worked out. Castellanos has a .191/.221/.339 line through 122 plate appearances this year. His .228 batting average on balls in play isn’t doing him any favors but his 4.1% walk rate and 27.9% strikeout rate are both a few ticks worse than average, in addition to being worse than his own career numbers. He has good career numbers with the platoon advantage but isn’t hitting pitchers of either handedness this year, with a .182/.206/.303 line against southpaws.
San Diego rolled with Castellanos long enough for him to return to Philadelphia in a new uniform. The Padres kicked off a series at Citizens Bank Park last night, though Castellanos wasn’t put into the game. They have now decided it’s time to move on. He will likely be released again in the coming days.
Time will tell if any other club is willing to give Castellanos a shot. As mentioned, he is having a poor season and was struggling last year as well, though he has been a force at the plate at times. As recently as 2024, he was able to hit 23 home runs and slash .254/.311/.431 for a 104 wRC+. That included a .269/.324/.506 line and 124 wRC+ against lefties. If any club thinks he can get back to that level, he will be cheap.
The Padres will instead turn to Taylor, who they signed to a minor league deal in the winter. He is hitting .319/.406/.500 in Triple-A, leading to a 122 wRC+. That line is buoyed by a .371 batting average on balls in play but Taylor’s 11.7% walk rate and 17.6% strikeout rate are both solid clips.
Taylor has often put up big numbers in the minors but hasn’t yet clicked in very limited big league looks. He has been sent to the plate 83 times over three separate seasons with the Royals and Mariners, hitting just .205/.272/.260 in that time.
Ideally, he can produce some offense resembling his minor league numbers. Even if he can’t, he should be able to provide value in other ways. He is a threat on the bases, for instance. He has nine steals already this year and has been in the 40 to 50 range in many of his minor league seasons. He can also provide a bit of defensive versatility, as he has been playing second base and all three outfield spots this year. In previous seasons, he has played shortstop and third base as well.
The Friars currently have Jake Cronenworth on the injured list, so there’s a hole at second base. They have been using Sung-Mun Song and Fernando Tatis Jr. to cover that spot. They also lost Ramón Laureano to the IL this week, so perhaps they want Tatis to go back to being a regular in the outfield. Song has a .154/.290/.192 line on the year, so perhaps Taylor can take some second base playing time from him. If that pans out, then Tatis can remain in the outfield with Jackson Merrill, Gavin Sheets, Jase Bowen and Bryce Johnson.
Even if Taylor doesn’t work his way into a regular role, he should be a useful as a bench player who can do some pinch-running and defensive replacement work. If he gets squeezed when Cronenworth and Laureano come back, he is out of options.
Photo courtesy of David Frerker, Imagn Images
They took a shot…didn’t work out.
Hired – Maybe the Red Sox sign him?
His 4 HR would put him 5th on the Sox.
OMG is this true? Yikes.
Cold blooded to do it in Philly with 2 LH’s coming up.
Hoped this would have worked out for Nick, but looking forward to still what Samad will do. He had a good Spring Training.
Having a great season in AAA too. Hopefully he can finally get his feet under him in the show. The talent’s there..
I pride myself and think of myself as a man of faith, as there’s a drive into deep left field by Castellanos, it will be a DFA.
not much of an improvement
You know, Philadelphia could use right-handed hitting outfielder to platoon with Marsh in left field…🤔
He could literally go from one clubhouse to the other.
I’d be stunned…stunned…if the Phils went back to that well.
Think he cracked that possibility when he cracked the beer in the dugout.
Do not even joke about that
Just so long as they dont try to sub him out on defense, and no nerds try talking to him
My man knows hes a premier player, and can dictate these terms.
Lou Gorman on line 3
Dial tone
Taylor is batting .319 right now on the season and .349 against lefties. His OBP is pretty much the exact same (LHP v RHP) @ .405/.406. He also plays 2nd. Padres can platoon SMS and Taylor and keep Tatis in the OF.
Guy made 160M as a solid “B” player for 10 years.
Well done-
Not much opportunity for Castellanos to pop off in San Diego because Don Orsillo is too professional to make the sort of on-air gaffe Nick needs to power his home runs.
Well, I was thinking he might be a decent RH option vs a lefty, but his splits are even worse against LH pitchers.
Nick been in Chicago once before and he did pretty well so hopefully this time when he comes back he heads to the southside. Can platoon in RF or DH. Go Sox!
One of the more overrated players in the game.
Interesting that San Diego actually flew him all the way across the country just to cut him. He must’ve pissed off a few in the San Diego for an office as well. As a Phillies fan, I am loving every second of this.
Can Castellanos hit lefties better than Jamai Jones? Asking for the Tigers.
Earlier in his career yes, but not this year, or last. Jones’ .578 OPS against LHPs in 2026 isn’t good, but it’s still better than Castellanos’ .509. Last season Jones had a .970 OPS, and Castellanos a .680.
Maybe the Giants could squeeze him in. That production would fit right in with Posey’s philosophy.
He had a couple of big home runs but other than that he was not doing well on an offense that has no direction. They should leave Souza in Philly too and give Pujols whatever he wants to be a hitting advisor.
Giants will sign castellano,
Clearly outlines the state of affairs with this team. Relegated to choices between bad and awful. But cleaning house is required. Too bad there are so many un-tradeable contracts.
A permanent DH who is putting up some pretty paltry offensive numbers.
May be only 34, but he’s a genuine liability, and it might be time to sink the fork in here.
If this is the “big right handed bat” that Breslow is eyeing, he’s gotta go.
I wonder if thats a wrap on his career. If he wasnt such a headache in Philly im sure someone would give him as a short side platoon DH, but the clubhouse/PR risk just might not be worth the ever dwindling possible reward.