One of the most popular players of the last five years has been Nick Castellanos. This is mainly because he seems to hit a home run every time something tragic happens. But he has been one of the better hitters in the game as well. Over his 14 years in the Majors, he has a slashline of .270/.319/.462 with 254 home runs, 940 RBIs, and an OPS+ of 109. He was also a key figure of the 2020s Philadelphia Phillies, who made the playoffs all four years he was there.
With such an impressive track record, it made sense that the San Diego Padres decided to take a flyer on him. It was a low-risk, high-reward move. They could be adding a 250-260 hitter capable of hitting 20-25 home runs for cheap. It’s the type of player that could put them over the top and get them to their first World Series since 1998. But through 39 games, things have not gone well for Castellanos. So much so that the Padres decided to cut their losses and DFA him. This should serve as the end to Castellanos career.
It’s Time For Nick Castellanos To Call It a Career
While Castellanos has been declining for years, his numbers took a nosedive this season. In 39 games this season, he has a slashline of .191/.221/.329 with four home runs, 20 RBIs, and an OPS+ of 56. These stats are bad on their own, but when you look at his individual performances, it only gets worse. He has only had two multi-hit games this season. He has also had only nine extra-base hits this season, which account for 40% of his hits.
It’s also not like he’s getting unlucky, as he has been making very poor contact. According to Baseball Savant, he has a hard-hit% of 37.3% and a Barrel% of 8.4. While he is not a qualified batter, his numbers ranked among the worst in the sport. This resulted in him having an average exit velocity of 87.7, the lowest he has produced since the 2022 season. Now, this drop in exit velocity has been going on for years. It has coincided with his OPS decreasing season by season.
He’s also striking out more than he has in the past. Sure, he has always been a guy who strikes out over 130 times a season. But there has been a noticeable spike this season. He has a strikeout percentage of 27.9. A near five percent increase from 2025. It’s also higher than his 2023 percentage, which was the season he struck out the most. Had Castellanos played the whole 2026 season, he likely would have blown past that 2023 number. Another sign that Castellanos just does not have it anymore.
With his bat pretty much gone, Castellanos has nothing to offer a big league team. He has no speed and has been one of baseball’s worst defenders over the past few seasons. For years, teams had put up with his terrible defense because he made up for it with his bat. He can no longer do that. It’s unlikely any team will be willing to sign him because he is nothing more than a name at this point. The best thing for him to do is retire so he does not have a sad end to his career, and we can just remember the good times.
As hard as it is to do, it’s time for Castellanos to hang up his cleats. It’s the best way to protect his legacy and be remembered as one of the better players of the 2010s and 2020s.
