Phillies release Castellanos with $20M left on contract

The Philadelphia Phillies released outfielder Nick Castellanos, the team announced Thursday.

Castellanos had $20 million remaining on the final year of the five-year, $100-million contract he signed with the Phillies ahead of the 2022 season.

The Phillies attempted to find a trade partner for Castellanos before the team reported for its first full-squad spring training workout. Castellanos is drawing significant interest following his release, reports the New York Post's Jon Heyman.

Philadelphia benched Castellanos last season after he apparently directed an inappropriate comment toward Phillies manager Rob Thomson, who had removed him from a game for a defensive replacement.

Castellanos shared details of the incident in a goodbye letter to the Phillies and their fans on Thursday. He said the team disciplined him for bringing a beer into the dugout after Thomson took him out of the game.

The 33-year-old hit .250/.294/.400 with 17 home runs and 72 RBIs in 2025. He was an All-Star in 2023 when he posted a .788 OPS with 29 homers and 106 RBIs for the Phillies.