CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Turns out, the Philadelphia Phillies were ale-ing last year.

Deciding their relationship ruptured when Nick Castellanos angrily brought a beer into the dugout after he was pulled from a game, the Phillies released the outfielder even though they owe him $20 million for the final season of a $100 million, five-year contract.

Draught was an issue in a season that extended the team's title drought.

In a four-page handwritten letter posted Thursday, Castellanos admitted he broke a team rule by bringing a Presidente beer into the dugout last June “after being taken out of a close ball game in front of my friends and family.” Phillies manager Rob Thomson made the move for defense with a 3-1 eighth-inning lead during a 5-2 win at Miami on June 16.

“I'm proud of him because he owned up to what he did and, hey, we all make mistakes,” Thomson said Friday. “Nick had helped us out in a lot of ways here. He’s had some big hits and big plays and helped us win a lot ballgames. So I do, I wish him all the best.”

During a season that ended with a Division Series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Castellanos hit .250 — his lowest in a non-shortened season — with 17 homers and 72 RBIs.

Any team can sign Castellanos for the $780,000 major league minimum. Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski had decided Castellanos wouldn’t report to the team for spring training — the 33-year-old did not have a locker assigned and two photos of him in the corridor of player images already had been removed.

“A lot of times when a good player has their role change with the club, it can cause some friction, and his role changed last year from where it was,” Dombrowski said. "I mean you played every single day for a lot years in a row, and so sometimes that can contribute to it. Sometimes then people have debates between themselves where they’re not all on the same page. But when you put all that together, sometimes you just need to make sure that you have a change of scenery."

Castellanos' minus-12 outs above average — how many outs they gain defensively over the average fielder at their position, according to MLB Statcast — tied the New York Mets' Juan Soto and the Los Angeles Angels' Jo Adell for 108th and last among 110 qualified outfielders.

Castellanos was removed for Johan Rojas, who took over in center as Brandon Marsh moved from center to left and Max Kepler from left to right.

“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 and not (conducive) to us winning,” Castellanos wrote. “Shoutout to my teammates and Howie (Phillies special assistant Howie Kendrick) for taking the beer out of my hands before I could take a sip.

Castellanos said he “aired out our differences” after the game during a meeting with Thomson and Dombrowski.

“The conversation ended with me apologizing for letting my emotions get the best of me,” Castellanos wrote.

Castellanos was benched the next day for what Thomson said then was “an inappropriate comment.” Castellanos wrote the Phillies told him not to divulge details to reporters.

“I was surprised that a lot of people didn’t see what was taking place at the time,” Dombrowski said.

Thomson doesn't regret the messy details didn't become public at the time.

“I thought it was appropriate what we did,” he said.

Castellanos appeared in 75 of the team's final 90 regular season games and hit .133 with three RBIs in the four-game Division Series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. His production decline led to the decision as much as the beer beef.

“That wasn’t the final or determining factor, because if that was, we would have done that at that particular time,” Dombrowski said.

Philadelphia secured a replacement in December, agreeing to a $10 million, one-year contract with Adolis García.

Reporting for the new season and hoping to win Philadelphia's first title since 2008, Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber wished Castellanos the best.

“We’ve had a lot of really good memories here over the last four years and he’s had some really big moments with us,” Schwarber said. “Hopefully wherever he goes next, he’s able to keep going out there and keep doing his thing and keep having those big moments.”

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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Young New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler is dealing with back inflammation and a lat issue, causing him to skip some bullpen sessions.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone revealed the injury Thursday and made it seem minor, as did the right-hander, who turned 25 last week. Schlittler said his concern was “zero.”

“I’ve been dealing with it for a little bit so I just want to make sure I’m on top of it and get ready for opening day,” Schlittler said.

He made his major league debut on July 9 and went 4-3 with a 2.96 ERA in 14 starts. With a fastball that averaged 98 mph, Schlittler struck out 84 and walked 31 in 73 innings. He pitched eight shutout innings against Boston in the Wild Card Series, then allowed four runs — two earned — over 6 1/3 innings in the Division Series vs. Toronto.

“Obviously we’re very excited about him and expect him to be a key part of our rotation and still expect,” Boone said.

Schlittler underwent a test that Boone said “kind of came back good news.”

“Probably keep him off the mound for the next few days at least,” Boone said. “He’s continuing with his throwing program.”

New York already projects to start the season on March 25 without ace Gerrit Cole, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery last March 11, and Carlos Rodón, regaining arm strength following an operation on Oct. 15 to remove loose bodies in his left elbow and shave a bone spur.

Rodón is not likely to return to the Yankees before May and Cole is expected back sometime during the first half of the season. In addition, Clarke Schmidt will miss much of the season following UCL repair surgery on July 11.

Schlittler said he first felt the issue a few weeks ago and described it as minor inflammation and “maybe more lat, as well.” He hopes to pitch off a mound next week.

Asked whether he had dealt with the issue in the past, Schlittler said “last year, some on-and-off stuff.”

“For now, it’s just good to take care of it and make sure it doesn’t really turn into something that you start to worry about,” he said.

New York's projected rotation for the season's start includes Max Fried, Schlittler, Luis Gil, Will Warren, and Ryan Weathers. Gil, the 2024 AL Rookie of the Year, injured a lat during spring training last year and didn't make his season debut until Aug. 3.

Schlittler pitched 164 innings last year, including the postseason, well above his previous professional high of 120 2/3 in 2024. He took four weeks off after the playoffs, then started his offseason throwing program.

“There’s no really off time,” he said. "When it comes to baseball, you’re always working on all that."

Schlittler attended big league spring training last year, started the season at Double-A Somerset, then was promoted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on June 3. He was called up after just five starts with the RailRiders.

“I came in here last spring training kind of as a no one, a prospect, whatever it was, but I was really trying to learn things, coming here and get my work in. It was more an experience last year,” he said. “I feel like being over here now it’s like, 'Hey, I've earned that role. I'm going to go out there. I know exactly what I need to do.'”

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Just 102 days after a thrilling World Series ended with the Los Angeles Dodgers becoming the first repeat champion in a quarter century, pitchers and catchers are back on the field Tuesday as spring training begins with an initial focus on ABS and WBC.

In what could be the last full season before a labor confrontation over a possible salary cap proposal, players are preparing for the Automated Ball-Strike system, giving teams a chance to appeal pitch calls by the plate umpire to so-called robot umps.

“I’m really excited about it. I’ve obviously seen it in Triple-A for a while,” said Washington's Blake Butera, among eight new managers and at 33 the youngest in 54 years. “You always hear the chatter from the dugout getting on the umpires. It’s like: Hey, challenge it. Let’s see what you got.”

ABS was tested in 13 spring training ballparks last year, and teams won 52.2% of 1,182 challenges, which averaged 13.8 seconds. Major League Baseball’s 11-man competition committee voted in September to approve regular-season use for 2026.

Each player will be measured for his strike zone starting at 10 a.m. to noon on a rolling basis during spring training — the time of day to maintain uniformity — and the data will be verified by the Southwest Research Institute.

Most teams appear reticent about allowing pitchers to challenge, preferring catchers and managers make the decisions.

“The first month will probably be the hardest month,” said Detroit manager A.J. Hinch, a former catcher. “Maybe spring will help a little bit. But in the spring, you can try and fail and it’s not that penal. You do that in San Diego or Arizona or a home opener against St. Louis, and it’s a little more costly. We’ll have a running tab on who’s good at it and who is not. Because there might be some position players who get their optionality taken away from the challenged call.”

Tampa Bay will be preparing for a return to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, repaired after hurricane damage caused the Rays to play home games last year at the New York Yankees' Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.

Player turnover

Most top free agents had signed ahead of spring training, and the biggest deals included Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz joining the Dodgers, Alex Bregman to the Chicago Cubs, Pete Alonso the Baltimore Orioles, Dylan Cease the AL champion Toronto Blue Jays and Bo Bichette the New York Mets.

Free agents who stayed put included Philadelphia's Kyle Schwarber and the New York Yankees' Cody Bellinger.

Right-hander Freddy Peralta was acquired by the Mets from Milwaukee in the most notable trade.

Among Japanese players joining MLB, infielder Munetaka Murakami signed with the Chicago White Sox, infielder Kazuma Okamoto the Blue Jays, and right-hander Tatsuya Imai the Houston Astros.

World Baseball Classic returns for first time since 2023

Japan will try for its fourth title and second straight when players leave their clubs for the sixth edition of the tournament, to be played from March 5-17 in Houston; Miami; San Juan; Puerto Rico; and Tokyo.

Rosters on the 20 national teams include 306 players under major league and minor league contracts, including 78 All-Stars.

“It was something I really wanted to be a part of,” U.S. captain Aaron Judge said. “I think this team is going to be on a mission.”

Shohei Ohtani, who struck out Mike Trout to end Japan's 3-2 win in the 2023 final, will be limited to hitting.

Large dugout changeover

There will be eight new managers on opening day, one shy of tying 2003 and 2020 for the most who weren't the team's skipper at the end of the prior season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Butera is joined by Craig Albernaz (Baltimore), Skip Schumaker (Texas), Derek Shelton (Minnesota), Craig Stammen (San Diego), Kurt Suzuki (Los Angeles Angels), Tony Vitello (San Francisco) and Walt Weiss (Atlanta). In addition, Warren Schaeffer was made Colorado's permanent manager after getting the job on an interim basis last May 11.

All but Schumaker and Shelton are rookie big league managers.

Butera is the youngest since Frank Quilici with the 1972 Twins. A generational change has seen Ron Washington (73) and Bruce Bochy and Brian Snitker (both 70) leave managing jobs.

Vitello, who had been the University of Tennessee's coach, made the rare move directly from college coach to major league manager, following the path of Hall of Famers Hughie Jennings and Casey Stengel.

“I think for that direct jump, I think college baseball had to become closer to what pro baseball is,” Vitello said.

“If you want to call it guinea pig or sacrificial lamb or it goes well or doesn’t go well, who cares? I guess I should," Vitello said. "I wish there was somebody like with a shorter haircut and more reputable up here to say it’s time for college baseball and Major League Baseball to be married a little closer for a lot of different reasons."

Looming lockout

Players and teams are preparing for a confrontation when the five-year collective bargaining agreement expires at 11:59 p.m. EST on Dec. 1.

A management lockout is likely, just as when the previous deal expired in 2021. A deal to preserve the 162-game schedule was reached after a 99-day lockout on March 10, 2022 —- 10 days after MLB's initial deadline to keep a full season.

Talk of a possible salary cap proposal has both sides preparing for the possibility of the first in-season stoppage since 1995.

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Right-hander Chris Paddack and the Miami Marlins agreed to a $4 million, one-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Monday.

Paddack can earn an additional $500,000 in performance bonuses, the person said, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity because the agreement was subject to a successful physical.

Miami appears likely to slot him into its rotation after trading Edward Cabrera to the Chicago Cubs and Ryan Weathers to the New York Yankees.

Paddack, who turned 30 last month, was 5-12 with a 5.35 ERA in 28 starts and five relief appearances last year for Minnesota and Detroit, which acquired him on July 28. Paddack was 3-9 with a 4.95 ERA in 21 starts for the Twins and 2-3 with a 6.32 ERA for the Tigers.

He had a $7.5 million salary in the final season of a $12,525,000, three-year deal and earned $1 million in performance bonuses.

Paddack has a 32-36 record and 4.64 ERA in 110 starts and eight relief appearances over seven seasons with San Diego (2019-21), Minnesota (2022-25) and Detroit.

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