PEORIA, Ariz. —Nick Castellanos has no regrets about how his time in Philadelphia ended. The newly acquired Padre, signed after his release from the Phillies earlier this week, said he took lessons from the rocky finish.
But regret? There’s none of that.
“In the moment, I felt how I felt, and I spoke from the heart, and I was honest in every word that I said,” Castellanos said early Sunday afternoon from the Peoria Sports Complex, San Diego’s spring training facility. “It’s not like I was outwardly ever displaying that. I kept it all inside. But when I was asked a question, I shot straight, and then people perceived it how they wanted.”
Perception always trailed Castellanos in Philly, making him a polarizing figure across his four seasons with the Phillies. But the dugout incident in June, reported by The Athletic, when he brought a beer into the dugout and screamed at manager Rob Thomson and hitting coach Kevin Long, didn’t earn him much support.
That, Castellanos admitted, he wished he handled differently.
“I said I will learn from this,” Castellanos said. I let the emotions get the best of me in the moment. [Going forward] possibly if I see things that frustrate me or I don’t believe are conducive to winning. [It’s about ] not letting things just pile up over time so when I address it, it’s less emotional.”
Castellanos joins an emotional clubhouse. Manny Machado, a friend from their childhood days, is viewed as the leader of the club. Some around the game see that fact as part of the reason why San DIego has yet to reach its potential. Whether Castellanos will only add fuel to what is already a combustible clubhouse will be something to monitor this season.
Nonetheless, after vetting Castellanos’ sour ending in Philly, A.J. Preller, the Padres’ president of baseball operations, decided to take a chance on the veteran.
“We did a lot of homework,” Preller said. “Throughout the whole offseason, there was a lot of talk that the Phillies were looking to move him. We talked to a ton of people that have history with Nick. Teammates, coaches, people who have been around him.”
San Diego made Castellanos’ role clear, indicating he will DH and play some outfield and possibly first base, a position he has never played in his big league career. With the Padres’ outfield set by Fernando Tatis Jr. in right, the position Castellanos is most accustomed to, his playing time in the field could be limited. Still, San Diego is paying only the league minimum of his $20 million salary in hopes he can rediscover the bat that eluded him at times with his former club.
Machado is confident that Castellanos will produce.
“For me as a player, seeing it from this side of it, I see a guy who’s accomplished a lot,” added Machado. “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.”
San Diego is in an unusual position. The club is in the middle of a sale, and its finances have been reshaped by the collapse of its regional sports network model. Preller, known for handing out hefty deals, was uncharacteristically quiet this offseason with the future of ownership in flux. On the field, you could argue the Padres might have missed their window to win a World Series. Machado will turn 34 in July. Xander Bogaerts turned 33 in October. After presuming that San Diego would be Fernando Tatis’ longterm home, a trade down the line isn’t out of the question.
Their rotation this year, too, leaves a lot to be desired headlined by Nick Pivetta, Michael King, and Joe Musgrove. Spring training will determine the final two spots.
Castellanos, however, has his sights set on this season. He spoke about needing a fresh start and how he sensed Game 4 of the NLDS would likely be his last game as a Phillie. He long came to terms with that and with some of the decisions he made during the year.
He wants to contribute. He believes he can still do so — even as he enters his age-34 season coming off of a down one (.250/.294/.400 slash line in 547 at-bats).
He does have just one regret overall about his previous stop, though.
“That we didn’t win a World Series,” he said. “I think winning solves everything. So I think the one thing that I wish would have ended up different is that we would have won.”
He’ll now try to change that outcome in San Diego.