Key Highlights
- Castellanos and Phillies manager Rob Thomson had been at odds with each other since an incident in June of last season that had made its way out of the dugout and into the headlines. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementDespite the end of his time with the team, Castellanos wrote a four-page letter to the Phillies organization and the team’s fans and posted the first page of it on his Instagram account.
- While he thanked ownership, staff, teammates and president of operations Dave Dombrowski, there was no reference on the first page to Thomson. The divide between Castellanos and Thomson was largely the result of the outfielder’s shaky defensive play.
- He fared poorly in all the defensive ratings and Thomson had stuck by him for years.
- However, when the manager removed him from a game in June for a defensive substitute, Castellanos reacted negatively to the situation and Thomson did not like how the outfielder behaved or what he said. The Phillies had worked hard to get Castellanos a new team during the offseason, but the team was unable to swing an acceptable deal.
- There was no chance of a reconciliation between the team and the player as Castellanos was instructed not to show up for the start of spring training. Castellanos can sign with any other team.
