One of Nick Castellanos’ former teammates clearly has his back.
Castellanos agreed to sign with the San Diego Padres last week after four seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies. The move comes after Castellanos’ messy exit from the Phillies, who opted to cut him rather than keep him around for the final year of his contract.
The Padres’ move to sign Castellanos drew a snarky comment from MLB writer Dan Clark, who insinuated Sunday that adding Nick to a locker room with Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado was not a good idea.
“Machado, Tatis Jr. and Castellanos in the same locker room… Good luck with that!” Clark wrote.
Machado, Tatis Jr. and Castellanos in the same locker room…
— Dan Clark (@DanClarkSports) February 15, 2026
Good luck with that!
Castellanos’ former teammate on the Cincinnati Reds, Amir Garrett, responded to the post hours later. Garrett called Castellanos a “great teammate” and claimed the latter was just very passionate about winning.
“Funny you say this,” Garrett wrote. “As someone who’s played with Castellanos. Hes [sic] a great teammate. His mentality is similar to Kobe’s. He doesn’t accept mediocrity. People hate that kind of leadership, he holds people accountable, and the other 2 I’ve never heard anything bad about them.”
Funny you say this. As someone who’s played with Castellanos. Hes a great teammate. His mentality is similar to Kobe’s. He doesn’t accept mediocrity. People hate that kind of leadership, he holds people accountable, and the other 2 I’ve never heard anything bad about them. https://t.co/ldCv0RJLom
— CountOnAG (@Amir_Garrett) February 15, 2026
Castellanos’ unceremonious exit from Philly largely stemmed from a midseason incident involving manager Rob Thomson. The two-time All-Star was benched after reportedly making a comment directed toward Thompson that had crossed the line.
Last week, Castellanos admitted that the incident also involved him bringing beer into the Phillies’ dugout during a June contest against the Miami Marlins. He has since vowed to learn from the incident as he begins his tenure with the Padres.
