Why Padres’ Nick Castellanos will remember his Phillies tenure forever

After four years of ups and downs, triumphs and tragedies, Nick Castellanos’ run with the Philadelphia Phillies came to an unceremonious end.

Despite their best efforts, the Phillies couldn’t find a trade partner for Casty’s services after tensions rose in 2024, and in the end, he was released, opting to sign with the San Diego Padres in free agency.

Discussing how it feels to take the field against Philly’s finest for the first time since 2021 as a foe, not friend, Castellanos noted that the Phillies will forever hold a special place in his heart, even if not every memory is positive.

“Great, man. There was a lot of winning,” Castellanos said. “Obviously, we fell short of winning the World Series, which is the ultimate goal. But I mean, four straight trips to the postseason, deep into the postseason, a lot of memorable moments, a lot of sad moments, you know, but it’s going to be a part of my life that I remember forever.”

Asked about how things ended in Philadelphia, Castellanos noted it is what it is, as in baseball, what really matters is the friendships players make along the way.

“I mean, it is what it is, you know? Like, I don’t have no hard feelings for it,” Castellanos noted. “They’re an organization that’s doing what they feel like is necessary for them to win, and they’re making decisions, and that led me in San Diego, which, you know, like I’m enjoying myself and I’m getting to be teammates with new guys, you know, like everything happens for a reason.”

Since joining the Padres, a lot has changed for Castellanos. He’s playing first base, hitting sixth, and filling more of a complementary role to San Diego’s stars, instead of being counted on to perform like a star, even if his coaches weren’t necessarily putting him in that role.

Nick Castellanos, who is starting in RF and batting 6th tonight, addresses the media prior to his first game against the Phillies since joining the Padres: pic.twitter.com/iWX4ZWvn1p

— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) May 25, 2026

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