It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks for Nick Castellanos. The former Phillies outfielder was relieved from his duties, only to sign with the San Diego Padres for pennies on the dollar. Castellanos' leadership was called into question by Phillies teammates and executives, many of whom wanted to stay anonymous in an article from Matt Gelb of The Athletic. Now, Castellanos is firing back.
Castellanos wasn't directly asked about Rob Thomson, but did appear to reference him while fawning over his new manager, Padres skipper Craig Stammen. Stammen was hired to replace Mike Shildt, who abruptly resigned this winter. As a recent MLB player, Stammen can relate to current stars in a way those who haven't played the game in decades can't. Keep that point in mind.
Did Nick Castellanos take a shot at Phillies manager Rob Thomson?
When asked about Stammen on a San Diego radio program, Castellanos admitted that he prefers to play for managers whose playing days aren't that far behind them. For reference, Stammen retired in 2022. Thomson never played a major-league game despite getting drafted by the Tigers in 1985.
"I have a lot of good relationships with the coaches just because they all have been playing recently," Castellanos told the Ben & Woods show on 97.3 The Fan in San Diego. "I really enjoy talking to coaches that have put it down within the last decade. Their emotions are still intact. They talk to you from a physical standpoint, but there's also a lot of emotional relatability there because they're still connected."
I don't believe Castellanos intended to shade Thomson, but by providing his preference, he sure didn't let the door hit him on the way out. Thomson is another holdover from a Phillies team that opted to run it back despite losing early in the postseason for the third straight year. Philadelphia made few notable improvements.
While Castellanos was merely praising Stammen this time around, it comes from a bad place.
Nick Castellanos has beef with the Phillies and Rob Thomson
Castellanos and Thomson have beef. Whether it be from decreased playing time, or an incident last season in which Castellanos brought a beer into the dugout, these two don't like each other. In the recent investigative piece from Gelb in The Athletic, Castellanos was mentioned several times over, including his relationship with Thomson and hitting coach Kevin Long.
"Numerous players had grievances with management regarding strategy or usage; these were usually expressed in private settings. Castellanos was different. He was most outward with his disdain for two people, Thomson and hitting coach Kevin Long. He did not trust them, he told teammates, because they had never played in the majors," Gelb wrote.
Castellanos made this painfully obvious last year in an interview on Mookie Betts' podcast, and his comments echo much of what he said above.
“The only opinions that I honestly care about are (from) the ones that have carried the stick,” Castellanos said. “The ones that have put on the gloves and put on the cleats.”
For Castellanos, it's unclear if that includes Thomson despite his experience in the minor leagues. His opinion sure hasn't changed between September and now, and it should come as no surprise that his relationship with Thomson reached a boiling point.