It was not a good Wednesday for former Detroit Tigers first-round pick Nick Castellanos, who was already let go from the Philadelphia Phillies close to the start of spring training; he still had year and $20 million remaining on the original five-year contract that he signed with the organization.
But after several months with the San Diego Padres, it appears as though that experiment has come to a close.
Former Detroit Tigers First-Round Pick Nick Castellanos Was Designated For Assignment By The Padres
Castellanos, who spent the first seven seasons of his MLB career in the Motor City with the Detroit Tigers, was designated for assignment on Wednesday by the Padres, who signed him for less than $1 million after he was released by the Phillies earlier this year.
“We have designated 1B/OF Nick Castellanos for assignment and selected the contract of INF/OF Samad Taylor from Triple-A El Paso,” the Padres reported on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Taylor will wear No. 0.”
While with the Padres this year, Castellanos hit .191 in 115 at-bats.
Ironically, he was DFA’d while the Padres were at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia for their series against the Phillies.
Castellanos was released by the Phillies despite saying that he was open to taking a lesser role, but implied that the conversation never took place.
“Like I said before in the interview, the phone was on,” Castellanos said about the split on Tuesday via Phillies Nation. “All I needed was a conversation. ‘Hey, this is going to be your role or this or that.’ Apparently, they thought it was just best for the organization that my personality wasn’t in the clubhouse.”
He also spoke honestly about playing in the sports-mad city of Philadelphia, where the fans aren’t shy of voicing how they feel about the performance of their athletes.
“When everything is going great, it’s wind at your back,” Castellanos said. “And then also, too, it can kind of switch. When things are not going great, it’s wind in your face and I’ve seen teams press and things not go well. When I’m in the dugout, I can feel it. I’m a part of it.”
As far as how things ended with the Phillies, Castellanos said that he simply spoke his mind.
“I appreciate that and I think at the end of the day, I spoke my mind, I went about my business, I played every day, I’d never really been on the IL,” he concluded. “I really wanted to win a ring. Did I do everything 100% correct? Probably not, you know. But did I act true to my heart, how I felt in the moment? 100%.”
Nick Castellanos Began His MLB Career With The Tigers
Castellanos was selected by the Tigers with the 44th overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft, and he would later make his debut in 2013.
During his time in Detroit, he compiled a .276 batting average and had 847 hits with 95 home runs, 372 RBIs, and a .785 OPS.
He was traded to the Chicago Cubs in July 2019 for right-handed pitching prospects Paul Richan and Alex Lange.
Former Detroit Tiger Nick Castellanos Gets Brutal News