Unable to trade him, Phillies release Nick Castellanos with $20 million left on his contract

Lochlahn March, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Feb 12, 2026

Published in Baseball

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CLEARWATER, Fla. — The Phillies have released Nick Castellanos, the team announced on Thursday.

The drawn-out saga reached its conclusion three days before position players were set to report to the Phillies' facilities for spring training. This winter, the Phillies had repeatedly indicated their interest in finding a change of scenery for the outfielder, who will be 34 next month.

In December, they signed free-agent outfielder Adolis García to a one-year, $10 million contract to take Castellanos’ position in right field. The Phillies sought to find a trade partner to offset at least some of the $20 million that Castellanos is owed for the 2026 season in the final year of his contract, but they ultimately released him.

Castellanos had a .260 batting average and .732 OPS over his four years with the Phillies. His -12 outs above average in right field in 2025 positioned him as one of the major leagues’ worst outfielders, and led him to lose his starting job in the second half of the season.

He was benched for one game in June for making an “inappropriate comment” to manager Rob Thomson after being removed for a defensive replacement during a game in Miami.

In September, Castellanos criticized Thomson for “questionable” communication about his role.

Castellanos posted a letter on Instagram on Thursday, thanking the team and city.