Star Metro - 'Beer Man' Castellanos released by MLB Phillies

The Phillies, who still owe the 33-year-old American $20 million, had tried in vain to make a trade deal before dropping Castellanos as they began pre-season workouts in Clearwater, Florida.

Castellanos posted a photo of a handwritten note on Instagram detailing his side of an incident last year in Miami that led to his benching -- bringing beer into the dugout after being removed from a close game by Phillies manager Rob Thomson.

"I brought a Presidente into the dugout. I then sat right next to Rob and let him know that too much slack in some areas and to(o) tight of restrictions in others are not conducive to us winning," Castellanos wrote.

"Shoutout to my teammates... for taking the beer out of my hands before I could take a sip.

"After the game I went into the office with Dave (Dombrowski, the Phillies president of baseball operations) & Rob. We aired out our differences and the conversation ended with me apologizing for letting my emotions get the best of me."

Castellanos said he was benched for the team's next game as punishment for his words and actions.

Castellanos batted .250 with 17 home runs and 72 runs batted in last season.

In 13 MLB campaigns with Detroit, the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati and the Phillies, Castellanos has batted .272 with 250 homers and 920 RBI.

A.Lavoie--SMC