PEORIA, Ariz. — Nick Castellanos was on the infield dirt on Field No. 1 at the Peoria Sports Complex before 8 a.m. Sunday morning, working on some of the finer points of first base — a position he has never played in a major league game.
At midday, he stood in front of a brown and gold backdrop and talked about how he is willing to do anything to help the Padres win.
“I mean, they’re giving me an opportunity,” he said. “That’s all I can ask for — to be able to come here, be myself, work hard, make the club, earn my playing time and just help, really, in any way that I can. … It’s a new start. It’s a new vibe. There’s new energy here. I’m excited to see how I can fit into whatever role they need me to be.”
The veteran of 13 major league seasons and two-time All-Star agreed to a one-year contract with the Padres on Saturday, two days after he was released by the Philadelphia Phillies.
The divorce, which came with one year and $20 million remaining on a five-year deal agreed to in 2022, had been telegraphed for months and ended with reports that Castellanos had conflicts with coaches, manager Rob Thomson and some teammates.
The Padres were among the teams that engaged with the Phillies over the winter about the 33-year-old Castellanos, who has 250 career home runs but hit just .250 with a .694 OPS last season. However, those talks had little chance of resulting in a swap. No matter how much of Castellanos’ salary the Phillies took on in a trade, there was no beating the major league minimum of $780,000 the Padres will pay Castellanos this season. (The Phillies are on the hook for the balance of his contract.)
There were reports that Castellanos made it clear he did not want to return to Philadelphia in a reduced role. But he decided to sign with the Padres after a Zoom call with manager Craig Stammen, president of baseball operations A.J. Preller and assistant general manager Josh Stein in which they laid out for him that he would be asked to play multiple positions and could be involved in a platoon situation at first base and designated hitter.
Nick Castellanos of the San Diego Padres looks on during spring training workouts at the Peoria Sports Complex on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026 in Peoria, Ariz.(Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
“That was part of the signing process and us figuring out if we wanted to bring Nick on is what he was open to and what he wanted out of his next situation,” Stammen said.
“We want him to play as much as possible and we want him to get as hot as heck and him force us to put him in the lineup. That’s the ultimate goal. We want to set him up for a good situation for that to happen. But he also knows he’s in a different part of his career and he may be asked to be a platoon player, be able to come off the bench. But he also knows he wants to earn every at-bat. And he’s got that little twinkle in his eye that says, ‘Don’t worry, I’m gonna earn it.’ So that’s good.”
Castellanos explained his comfort signing with the Padres by alluding to “the reputation they have on how they treat their players and how they have their backs. Even if something goes a little bit awry, they still stand with them, and they don’t deviate from their commitment to them as a person. So all those things came into account. I’m happy to be wearing brown.”
Castellano has long been known for being passionate, outspoken and straightforward, even to the point of being caustic. He wrote in a social media post the day he was released that he had mishandled some situations and would learn from his experience.
“When I said I will learn from this, I guess, just letting my emotions get the best of me in a moment,” Castellanos said Sunday. “Possibly, if I see things that frustrate me or I don’t believe are conducive to winning, to speaking up when I see it, instead of letting things just pile up over time and pile up over time and then, you know, finally, when I address it, it’s less emotional.”
Nick Castellanos of the San Diego Padres runs the bases during spring training workouts at the Peoria Sports Complex on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026 in Peoria, Ariz.(Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
There were reports, too, that Castellanos’ respect for Thomson was diminished because he did not play in the majors. While he did not address those contentions, Castellanos spoke glowingly of Stammen.
“He’s very passionate as far as how much he cares, not only about the team, but about the individuals,” Castellanos said. “Seems like a family man, which I can relate to that, seeing as I have a family of my own. And he’s a player. Like, he’s done it. He’s put on spikes, he’s grinded, he’s felt the feeling of success, and he’s also felt the feeling when the game doesn’t go your way. So there’s a lot of respect in that. And you know, I’m excited to do whatever he needs me to do.”
The Padres’ brass asked Castellanos about clubhouse issues and a report that he took a beer in the dugout and had a heated exchange with Thomson after being pulled from a game last season.
“That’s the best thing — to talk to somebody directly,” Preller said. “… I make many mistakes in this job, but ultimately, when people own up to those mistakes, and he did that in our call, it’s about giving guys another opportunity. He gets a fresh start here and a fresh opportunity.”
As multiple players did Saturday, Padres players on Sunday asserted they are only pleased to have Castellanos.
“I think he wanted a fresh start,” said Manny Machado, who has played with and against Castellano since they were kids in Miami. “I think at the end of the day, business is business. For me as a player, seeing it from this side of it, I see a guy who has accomplished a lot. I really don’t know the details of what happened over there. Don’t really care, honestly. I’m just happy we got him for what we got him for, and he’s going to improve our team tremendously. I think that’s all that we care about. At the end of the day, we want him to come out here and ball out. I know that he’s a baller. … He can hit with the best of us in the big leagues. So to have him in our lineup is going to be huge.”
