Count me in as intrigued.
On Monday, the Phillies agreed to a one-year, $10M deal with outfielder Adolis Garcia. You might remember him from the 2023 postseason (it’s also OK if you blocked out all memories of that October) when he played the role of hero in helping the Texas Rangers win the World Series.
Is he that guy now? Is he in decline? Why was he non-tendered by the Rangers last month?
Here’s my take on Garcia, and the role he’ll play on the 2026 Phillies.
Think Nick Castellanos, just better: As we wait for the Phillies to dump Castellanos (either through trade or release), Garcia is a souped-up version of the soon-to-be former Phillies right fielder. He’s a free swinger. He doesn’t walk. He’ll chase pitches. He can go into long slumps. His on-base percentage leaves much to be desired. But he can hit the ball hard and generate extra-base hits. When he’s hot, he’s hot. Garcia will likely hit for more power. He’ll almost certainly be a defensive upgrade. Think Castellanos, just better than the version we saw last year.
Big-game chops: Is one postseason enough to make us feel like he’s built for the big moment? I’m not sure. But I know this: The Rangers wouldn’t have won it all without his 1.108 OPS in 2023.
This year’s Max Kepler: The one-year, $10M deal is an exact replica of what the Phillies gave Kepler last winter, hoping he'd bounce back to his previous levels. He didn’t really. We can hope for 30 or more Garcia bombs, but 20-25 is more realistic.
The move is fine, if there’s more to come: If, say, the Phillies finish the winter by signing J.T. Realmuto, trading for Ketel Marte (perhaps using Andrew Painter and Alec Bohm to win a bidding war) and re-signing Ranger Suarez, I’ll be satisfied. But if Garcia is basically the end of the spending, it’s not enough. I consider Garcia as Castellanos’ replacement, which means the team still has question marks in the No. 2 spot in the lineup, third base, center field, catcher (until Realmuto news hits) and left field. There’s plenty of work to do.
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