The New York Post initially reported the news, which comes two days after Castellanos was released by the Philadelphia Phillies.
Castellanos, who turns 34 on March 4, was cut by Philadelphia this week with one season remaining on his five-year, $100 million contract. Per MLB.com, the Padres will pay Castellanos the MLB minimum of $780,000 with the Phillies being on the hook for the balance of his salary for the 2026 season.
Castellanos fell out of favor in Philadelphia last season, and he found himself in a platoon role after being admonished for insubordination in June.
Castellanos was benched on June 17, one day after reportedly making an “inappropriate” comment to manager Rob Thomson.
Thomson removed Castellanos from the outfield in favor of Johan Rojas as a defensive replacement in the eighth inning of a 5-2 victory over the Miami Marlins. That’s what prompted Castellanos to say something to Thomson that the manager deemed out of order.
Castellanos, however, noted during an Instagram post on Thursday that he was benched for the following game after bringing a beer into the dugout after his removal from the game for defensive purposes.
Castellanos batted .250 with 17 home runs and 72 RBIs in 147 games last season, his fourth with Philadelphia.
A two-time All-Star, Castellanos is a career .272 hitter with 250 homers and 920 RBIs in 1,688 games with the Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds and Phillies.
