Adolis García:
A one-year contract has been negotiated between the Philadelphia Phillies and free-agent outfielder Adolis García, according to a report by Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com. The transaction is currently being examined medically. The article claims that García’s contract guarantees him $10 million. He is represented by Octagon.
The Texas Rangers chose not to tender Adolis García last month. According to MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz, he was expected to receive $12.1 million for his final arbitration year in 2026. To save money and reorganize an attack that had grown overly swing-heavy with a low on-base percentage, Texas decided to let García go rather than bring him back at that expense.
In 2023, Adolis García was a key member of the lineup that helped the Rangers win their first World Series. He hit 39 home runs, had a slash line of.245/.328/.508, and played solid right field defense. These figures alone made him one of the more intriguing recent DFA pickups, but they didn’t exactly establish him as a long-term core player, as many had hoped at the time.
His productivity dropped sharply in 2024 (.224/.284/.400) and was only.227/.271/.394 in 2025. In the end, García came to represent the boom-or-bust approach that the Rangers were trying to give up.
Adolis García continues to hit the ball hard when he makes contact, even at his 33rd birthday in March. He possesses an average exit velocity of 92.1 mph and a respectable hard-hit rate of 46.7%. However, his chase percentage on pitches beyond the strike zone rose from 29.5% to 35.1% between 2023 and 2025. In 2025, his total contact rate was about five percentage points below the league average, and his in-zone contact rate of 79.5% was about six percentage points below normal.
Despite his propensity to swing at more than one out of every five pitches in the strike zone, Adolis García’s willingness to chase more pitches has exacerbated the issue. The Phillies will be hoping he can play at the same level as in 2023, or at the very least perform significantly better than he did in 2024–2025. According to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, Adolis García is expected to take over as the Phillies’ starting right fielder. That job was previously filled by Nick Castellanos, whom the Phillies have been trying to trade all summer.
Castellanos’ time in Philadelphia appears to be coming to an end in one way or another. If a trade doesn’t occur, he is expected to be released. The 33-year-old, who turns 34 in March, is due $20 million in the last year of a five-year, $100 million contract that has fallen far short of expectations. Castellanos’s career-low score in 2025 made this more clear. 250/.294/.400 line, but due to subpar outfield defense and weak rate statistics, both FanGraphs and Baseball-Reference rated it below replacement level.
At the very least, Adolis García provides a substantial defensive upgrade over Castellanos, who has long been seen to be best suited for a DH-only role. Adolis García has continuously earned strong defensive grades, with the exception of 2024. His poor defensive performance that season may have been caused by a strained patellar tendon, which put him on the disabled list in late 2023.
Despite recovering from the injury and playing well at the plate during the postseason, Statcast showed that his sprint speed in 2024 was the lowest of his career. It did somewhat improve in 2025, but it hasn’t fully returned to previous levels.
Despite this, Adolis García’s defensive decline in 2024 was mostly ascribed by Statcast to a loss of range; nonetheless, his arm strength remained a strength and significantly increased in 2025. It is reasonable to assume that the former Gold Glove winner will provide at least mediocre, if not superior, defense.
Castellanos was placed at –11 Defensive Runs Saved the season before, therefore García’s +16 in the same category represents a big improvement. Additionally, there is some hope that a change of scenery could reinvigorate his bat.
García will be surrounded by seasoned hitters like Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, and Kyle Schwarber while working with famed hitting instructor Kevin Long in Philadelphia. He will also play in a home stadium that is more hitter-friendly than Globe Life stadium and have a stronger supporting cast than he had in Arlington.
According to RosterResource, the Phillies’ payroll will exceed $266 million with García added, and their projected luxury-tax payment will exceed $297 million. The Phillies were already in the fourth and last luxury-tax tier, just a few million dollars away.
His total cost to the team will be about $19.5 million after subtracting a 95% tax on García’s annual salary. If the Phillies are able to acquire other players or trade Castellanos for a piece of his salary, that number may change, but the team may still be adding players. They may go up to the highest luxury-tax rate, or they could remain firmly in the current third class.
The Phillies often start García in right field and Brandon Marsh in left. Top prospect Justin Crawford, who is almost ready for the Major Leagues, is one of their many center field alternatives. If Crawford isn’t quite ready, Johan Rojas may see some play in center. Despite being a light hitter, Rojas is an excellent defender and still has minor-league alternatives. Depending on how the rest of the winter goes and how Crawford performs this spring, Rojas might be a dependable fourth outfielder or Triple-A depth.
Regardless of the outcome of the center-field situation, the Phillies should have a much stronger defense in 2026. Furthermore, García’s performance history and batted-ball statistics offer hope that he can greatly enhance the lineup. Given the increased luxury tax impact, this one-year contract is a somewhat expensive risk, but García offers more upside and a strong defensive foundation than most players in this price range.