Padres Sign Castellanos
The San Diego Padres signed former Phillies slugger Nick Castellanos to a one-year deal, along with pitchers Griffin Canning and Germán Márquez. The signings bolster both San Diego's offense and pitching rotation heading into the 2026 season.
- Nick Castellanos joins the Padres after being released from a five-year, $100 million contract with the Phillies. In 2025, he played 147 games and hit .250 with 17 home runs and 72 RBIs. - The move aims to add a power bat to a Padres lineup that needed reinforcement after the team finished second in the NL West with a 90-72 record before losing in the NL Wild Card Series. - Griffin Canning is a high-reward signing, coming off a promising 2025 season with the Mets where he posted a 3.77 ERA over 16 starts before it was cut short by a ruptured Achilles tendon in June. - Germán Márquez, a 2021 All-Star, joins the Padres after significant time on the injured list. He underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2023 and faced a shoulder injury in July 2025. - Both pitcher signings directly address the Padres' biggest offseason priority, which President of Baseball Operations A.J. Preller identified as a need for more starting pitching. The team saw frontline starters Dylan Cease and Michael King depart in free agency.
