Per multiple reports, including MLB.com and the New York Post, the Padres picked up Nick Castellanos and Griffin Canning on deals. Canning is working his way back from a season-ending injury suffered this past year as a Met. Castellanos, meanwhile, will look for a fresh start after a complicated exit with the Phillies.

A Look at Castellanos

Nick Castellanos‘ tenure with the Phillies officially came to an end in early February, as Philadelphia released him. It ended his four-year run with the Phillies, one that came with highs and lows.

The 33-year-old Castellanos, after a difficult 2022 with the Phillies, had two resurgent seasons in 2023 and 2024. Between those two seasons, Castellanos hit a combined 52 home runs for the Phillies.

However, this past season, Castellanos posted a .694 OPS with 17 home runs, only four more than he hit in 2022.

Castellanos has had some rough edges in his game. The new Padre has never rated particularly well defensively in right field. Additionally, there is a lot of chase and swing-and-miss in his game, although much of that can be forgiven as long as he is making hard contact on the ones he gets a hold of.

Additionally, Castellanos had clashes with the Phillies’ brass. As he noted in an Instagram post this month, Castellanos confirmed that he brought beer into the dugout after he was removed from a game in June 2025. The move, a sign of protest towards the team, resulted in him being benched.

A Look at Canning

After an up-and-down run with the Angels, Griffin Canning found a new form with the New York Mets last season. The veteran right-hander, despite a BB/9 over 4.0 last season, struck out 70 over 76 innings last season and posted an ERA south of 4.00 last season.

Those were good numbers for Canning, who signed for a shade over $4MM with the Mets in 2024.

The righty was part of what was a very strong rotation for the Mets early on last season. However, things went awry for the Mets as the season went on, as both he and Kodai Senga suffered significant injuries in the middle of the year. For Canning, his was a very significant one, as he ruptured his Achilles tendon in June, an injury that ended his 2025 campaign early.

The right-hander underwent somewhat of a transformation between 2024 and 2025. He leaned a lot on that slider, a pitch that was very good for him in with the Angels. Canning introduced a cutter into his arsenal. Additionally, the righty also changed up how he released his four-seamer, ensuring that the pitch came off the tips of his index and middle fingers at the same time.

With the Angels, his fastball was getting more run. Thus, the grip change, as seen below:

Canning, on the heels of his injury recovery, threw for teams earlier this month. Per the New York Times, the right-hander hit 93 MPH during his session.

Analysis

The Phillies are paying Castellanos well this season, as the team had to cover all the $20MM he was owed when Philadelphia released him. Thus, the Padres are the ones who benefit from getting Castellanos on a low deal.

That, however, is dependent on how well Castellanos can perform. While he will be joining a good Padres team for 2026, there’s also the reality that the veteran outfielder will be one of many outfielder/DH options on the team.

San Diego’s tentative lineup includes Ramon Laureano, Jackson Merrill, and Fernando Tatis Jr., with Gavin Sheets and Miguel Andujar as secondary/platoon options for the Padres.

As for Canning, the Padres get more starting pitcher depth — which certainly doesn’t hurt. Canning proved to be highly effective, even though he did fall behind a lot of counts at times with the Mets.

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