After two disappointing seasons with the Rangers, Adolis Garcia will get a fresh start with the Phillies. Philadelphia will reportedly sign the veteran slugger to a one-year deal, as Garcia will look to get his career back on track.
A Look at Garcia
It wasn’t too long ago that Adolis Garcia came off what was a career season. Back in 2023, Garcia hit a career-high 39 home runs for the Texas Rangers. Then, in the playoffs, Garcia blasted eight home runs and drove in 23 runs, breaking the single-postseason record for most RBI in one year.
The 2023 campaign capped off what was an incredible three-year run for Garcia, a former Cardinals outfield prospect who was shipped to Texas in 2019 for cash. At the time, the Cardinals were flush with outfield prospects, and Garcia didn’t have a clear path to the Majors. He did with Texas.
However, things have dropped in the opposite direction over the past two seasons. Garcia hit 25 home runs in 2024 but slashed just .224/.284/.400 (.684 OPS). This past year, Garcia had 19 home runs and posted a .665 OPS. That OPS figure was in the bottom-40 among the 242 players with 350+ PA in 2025.
Garcia also dealt with injury problems in the second half. He went on the IL with an ankle sprain in August, then landed there again in September thanks to a quad strain.
The Rangers non-tendered him in November, ending his time with Texas.
Garcia has never been a high walk rate hitter. The 32-year-old had one outlier year, in 2023, when he walked 10.3% of the time and cut down significantly on the chases. Traditionally, a hitter who hacks out of the zone roughly 35% of the time, Garcia cut down the Chase% to 29.3% in 2023.
The new Phillie outfielder will swing-and-miss a lot. And, it’s not isolated to one pitch or pitch type.
Garcia has a long swing, which can be a problem point for squaring up fastballs. Over the past five seasons, Garcia has carried a roughly 30% Whiff% on four-seam fastballs, and a tad lower for sinkers (not surprising, given how many pitchers like to pound in with the sinker, and up with the four-seam).
Defensively, Garcia has graded very well. The 32-year-old ranked among the 10% of the league in average arm strength last season per Statcast. He’s also flashed good range, not a shock given that he does have good footspeed.
Per reports, the Phillies will sign Adolis Garcia to a one-year deal worth $10MM.
Analysis
It’s amazing what can happen in a few years.
Had Garcia entered the free agent pool two years ago, there was a chance — although that market was very slow — that the ex-Ranger could have come away with a nice multi-year deal. However, Garcia instead became a free agent after two down seasons and a non-tender.
Philadelphia isn’t a bad landing spot for Garcia. Citizens Bank Ballpark is a friendly ballpark for hitters, although not as much for righties compared to lefties. And, he’ll be surrounded by a good overall team that can provide him protection.
The Phillies, though, could very much use a bounce-back campaign from Garcia.
Philadelphia received a lot of production late in the year from Harrison Bader, both offensively and defensively. Garcia figures to slot in a corner outfield spot, perhaps in right field, should the team figure out a solution with Nick Castellanos. Or, in left field, which isn’t the easiest to play in Philly.
The Phillies have several left-handed outfield options for 2026, including Brandon Marsh and, likely, prospect Justin Crawford. Garcia figures to be important for a team that’s been searching for right-handed outfield pop for years.
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