Aug 6, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Kyle Schwarber (12) and right fielder Nick Castellanos (8) celebrate win against the Kansas City Royals at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports Eric Hartline
CLEARWATER, Fla. — For at least another day or two, the fallout from Nick Castellanos' release — along with the letter he posted to social media — will be a major storyline at Phillies camp.
Kyle Schwarber — the defacto captain of the team — spoke for the first time this season Friday, and was asked if he saw Castellanos' letter and what he's made of his departure.
"I mean, I saw it. It is what it is," Schwarber said. "I think the biggest thing [is] that we all wish him the best. We've had a lot of really good memories here over the last four years, and he's had some really big moments with us. We wish him the best moving forward, right? It is what it is, but hopefully wherever he goes next, he's able to keep going out there, keep doing his thing, and keep having those big moments.
I asked Kyle Schwarber about Nick Castellanos’ letter/departure. @OnPattison pic.twitter.com/WijwukeZk6
Later on in the session, Schwarber deflected when asked whether Castellanos was a distraction in 2025.
"Uh...I mean, that's, that's [neither] here nor there," Schwarber said, following a pause after being asked the question. "We did what we did, right? I felt like that in the Dodgers series, we played good games, right? There were just things that we didn't execute, and we didn't walk away with wins, at the end of the day. So, it's hard to say here or there, right? We put ourselves in the position where we wanted to be. We just got knocked out. So, can't really say."
Kyle Schwarber was asked whether Nick Castellanos was a distraction in 2025.
(Via @TimKellySports) pic.twitter.com/NBq1LzTt1t
In the letter — which OnPattison's Grace Del Pizzo fully transcribed — Castellanos discusses what he called the "Miami Incident." Last June, Castellanos was benched for a game against the Marlins for what manager Rob Thomson called at the time "an inappropriate comment." Castellanos revealed in his letter that after Thomson pulled him late in a close game for a defensive replacement in his hometown of Miami, he was upset and brought a beer into the dugout and sat next to Thomson. While he never drank it, it's still obviously a major no-no.
Thomson — who it would be fair to say Castellanos wasn't fond of by the end of his tenure with the Phillies — responded to the letter Thursday as well.
"Well, I'm proud of him, because he owned up to what he did," Thomson said. "Hey, we all make mistakes. Mine are well documented. But, Nick helped us out in a lot of ways here. He's had some big hits and big plays and helped us win a lot of ball games. So, I do, I wish him all the best."
Thomson was asked whether he's learned anything from going through that experience with Castellanos.
"I don't know, it's all about growth, it really is," Thomson responded.
Castellanos also said in his letter that the day after the incident happened, he wanted to explain it "to the media in its entirety," but didn't after he was "instructed not to by management." It's unclear who he's referring to as "management," whether it means Thomson, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, the PR staff or some combination.
Friday, a reporter asked Thomson whether the Phillies would have been better off just putting all this information out at the time, rather than just referring to it as an "inappropriate comment."
"No, I thought it was appropriate what we did," Thomson responded.
Wherever you come down on who deserves blame for the deterioration of the relationship between Castellanos and the Phillies, it's clear that this couldn't continue for another season. Now, the Phillies will move forward, paying Castellanos $20 million to not play for them in 2026.
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