According to a team announcement<\/a>, the Padres have designated the 34-year-old for assignment and have selected the contract of infielder\/outfielder Samad Taylor from Triple-A El Paso to replace him. Castellanos had been a disaster of a signing for the Padres, who took a chance on the two-time All-Star when he was released by the Philadelphia Phillies.\u00a0<\/p>\nIronically, Castellanos’s designation for assignment comes while the Friars play his former club, and he had a video tribute played for him on Tuesday in his return to Philadelphia. The former Silver Slugger (2021) did not appear in Tuesday’s game.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In 39 games with the Padres, Castellanos batted below the Mendoza line of .200 (.191), with a .560 OPS, .221 on-base percentage, .339 slugging percentage and hitting four home runs. Castellanos also proved to be a liability in the field.<\/p>\n
The Padres are getting a better player in Taylor, who was batting .319 with a .906 OPS and nine stolen bases (caught once) in El Paso. Taylor has seen parts of three seasons in the big leagues with the Kansas City Royals and Seattle Mariners.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Phillies are in the same boat as the Padres for right field<\/h2>\n
The Phillies are still on the hook to pay Castellanos’s $20 million salary, whereas the Padres signed him to the league minimum. And to make matters worse for them, Castellanos’s replacement, Adolis Garcia, has not performed any better. The Phillies have $30 million in dead money sitting in right field (Garcia is making $10 million).\u00a0<\/p>\n
Garcia has proven to be the same player as Castellanos, slashing .193\/.275\/.297 with a .572 OPS and four home runs, but provided better defensive — Castellanos posted a -24 DRS in 19 games in right field, while Garcia was 12 times better (-2). Given Garcia’s production, he may not be far behind Castellanos on the DFA train.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n