Just a few years ago,Nick Castellanoswas an integral part of what seemed to be a dominantPhiladelphia Phillieslineup.
After helping lead the Phillies to a World Series appearance in 2022, he had a very productive 2023 season offensively. Castellanos hit 29 home runs, scored 79 runs, added 106 runs batted in, stole 11 bases, and hit .272/.311/.476. Fast-forward a few seasons, and Castellanos was just released by Philadelphia as pitchers and catchers start reporting to spring training.
Well, Castellanos' production declined precipitously in 2025, with just 17 home runs and an on base percentage under .300. His defense, never his best skill, has gotten even worse, with a combined -34.9 run value in 2024-2025, per Fangraphs. Still, you don't see teams release players owed $20 million very often. And it turns out, as a new report, and some information from Castellanos himself has revealed, that it was a series of disagreements between him and the organization that led to this outcome.
Including one incident where he quite literally brought an open beer into the dugout. What on earth?
Former Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos. (Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images)
A new report from Matt Gelb atThe Athleticwent into detail on exactly what happened between Castellanos and the Phillies, but it started when he "cracked open a Presidente beer and carried the green bottle into the Phillies dugout in the middle of a game."
How did he think that was acceptable? Well, per the article, he felt he'd been "disrespected at the highest level."
"The beer served as a prop," Gelb writes. "If not in the game, Castellanos was on vacation. He yelled at the coaches and manager Rob Thomson while teammates watched."
Several players tried to get Castellanos out of the dugout, and a team special assistant, Howie Kendrick, grabbed the beer to make sure it wasn't shown on camera or became part of a bigger story. But according to one player who spoke to Gelb anonymously, the relationship was permanently broken anyway.
"You can’t disrespect the manager and talk to him the way he did," the player said. "You can’t expect it all to be the same after that."
Source: The Latest & Most Breaking News With OutKick
