Nick Castellanos Voted 'Best Subtraction' by MLB Insiders Amid Phillies Exit, Full Results

Even before his release became official, the Philadelphia Phillies' decision to move on from Nick Castellanos was widely applauded within MLB.

In a survey of 36 league executives conducted by The Athletic's Jayson Stark, Castellanos was voted as the "best subtraction" for any team during the offseason.

Even though the survey was conducted before the Phillies released Castellanos on Feb. 12, it wasn't a secret that he had probably played his last game in a Philadelphia jersey.

"Best subtraction? I would definitely say Nick Castellanos," one NL executive told Stark. "I mean, we know he's moving, but he hasn't yet. So he can't qualify yet, right?"

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters in November that "a change of scenery can be beneficial for people" when discussing Castellanos' future early in the offseason.

MLB.com's Todd Zolecki reported on Dec. 5 that both the Phillies and Castellanos were expecting a separation, either via trade or release, before the start of spring training.

In the wake of his release, more details about what may have led the Phillies to part ways with Castellanos came out when he posted a note discussing an incident during a June 16 game against the Miami Marlins last season in which he was unhappy about being benched for defensive purposes and brought a beer into the dugout.

Per The Athletic's Matt Gelb, Castellanos "yelled" at Phillies manager Rob Thomson and other coaches while in the dugout before Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto intervened.

Gelb noted many Phillies players "had come to resent" Castellanos because of attitude even before the incident in the Marlins game occurred.

The Phillies owed Castellanos $20 million this season, the final year of his five-year, $100 million contract signed in March 2022. He landed with the San Diego Padres on a one-year minimum deal worth $780,000, which will be subtracted from the total Philadelphia is on the hook for.

In addition to his reported attitude issues, Castellanos was also the worst position player in MLB by fWAR who received enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title.

The 33-year-old hit .260/.306/.426 with 82 homers in 602 games over four seasons with the Phillies.