Source: Padres bring in OF Castellanos, pitchers Marquez, Canning

The San Diego Padres agreed to a slew of free agent deals Saturday, bringing in outfielder Nick Castellanos, veteran pitcher German Marquez, and fellow righty Griffin Canning, a source told ESPN.

Castellanos joins the Padres just two days after he was released by the Philadelphia Phillies. The Padres will pay Castellanos the veteran minimum of $780,000, while the Phillies, who owed him $20 million at the time of his release, will pick up the balance of his salary for the 2026 season.

San Diego and Marquez agreed to a one-year minor league deal, pending a physical, that includes a mutual option to increase the overall value, a source tells ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez.

Canning also got a one-year deal, a source confirmed to ESPN, and is a proven pitcher who can contribute as a starter or out of the bullpen.

Castellanos spent a lot of time this offseason working out at first base and will probably get time there in San Diego.

Castellanos, 33, was benched last season after he made what Phillies manager Rob Thomson described as “an inappropriate comment” after he was pulled for a defensive replacement in Miami. Castellanos said in September that communication with Thomson had been “questionable, at least in my experience.”

On Thursday, Castellanos posted a handwritten note on social media explaining the incident that preceded his benching. He said he brought beer into the dugout after being taken out of a game and complained to Thomson about team rules. Castellanos said teammates took the beer before he began to drink it.

“After being taken out of a close ball game in front of my friends and family, I brought a Presidente into the dugout,” Castellanos wrote. “I then sat right next to Rob and let him know that too much slack in some areas and too tight of restrictions in others was not conducive to us winning.”

Afterward, he went into the office with Thomson and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski.

“We aired out our differences, and the conversation ended with me apologizing for letting my emotions get the best of me,” Castellanos said, adding that he was benched the next game as punishment.

The Phillies wanted to resolve the situation before full-squad workouts begin Monday. After failing to find a trade partner, Philadelphia released the veteran outfielder instead.

Castellanos hit .250 with 17 homers and 72 RBIs in 147 games for the National League East champions last year.

Marquez, who will turn 31 later this month, slots into a thin rotation that is headlined by Joe Musgrove, Nick Pivetta and Michael King but does not have much depth beyond them. At this point, Marquez profiles as the Padres’ fourth starter, followed by Randy Vasquez, who is out of options. Canning, coming off an Achilles tear, is not expected to be ready for the start of the season.

Marquez was limited to just five starts with the Colorado Rockies from 2023 to 2024 because of Tommy John surgery. He then struggled mightily in his first full season back in 2025, going 3-16 with a 6.70 ERA in 26 starts for a rotation that put up the highest ERA in baseball history.

Before that, Marquez was among the game’s more durable starting pitchers. Despite pitching at mile-high altitudes and the sport’s most hitter-friendly environment, Marquez made 166 starts and compiled 15.6 Baseball-Reference wins above replacement from 2017 to 2022, putting up a 4.38 ERA in the process.

In San Diego, Marquez will spend half his time under far more pitcher-friendly circumstances and will work under well-regarded pitching coach Ruben Niebla. Bud Black, Marquez’s longtime manager in Colorado, joined the Padres as an advisor over the offseason.

Canning, 29, is entering his seventh season in the majors, and put together a solid campaign with the New York Mets last season. He posted a 7-3 record with a 3.77 ERA in 16 starts before suffering an Achilles injury midway through the season. His status for the start of the regular season is unclear.

The New York Post was first to report news of the Castellanos deal.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.