The Philadelphia Phillies made a surprising move on Monday, signing 32-year-old right fielder Adolis García to a one-year, $10 million free agent contract. The move creates some outfield depth and adds some pop to a power-depleted Phillies outfield. The will also spell the end for Nick Castellanos, as the club gears up to trade or release him before spring training.
The swap of García for Castellanos may seem indistinguishable, but the former Texas Rangers slugger provides Gold Glove defense in right field. His raw power in a hitter's ballpark like Citizens Bank Park also presents a unique advantage that could yield a high reward. One thing that Castellanos had going his way was his health, while García has an uphill battle when it comes to his injury history.
Phillies hoping Adolis García can leave his nagging injury history in the past
García debuted as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2018 but has been with the Rangers the last six seasons. When he was healthy, he was their everyday right fielder. Since becoming an everyday player in 2021, García has been slugging the baseball, averaging 30 home runs and 100 RBIs. He's been a productive player, but the injury bug kept nipping at him along the way.
Whether it's his build at 6 feet and 205 pounds or just plain bad luck, Garcia has had a few trips to the injured list.
He landed on the 10-day IL in September 2023 with a strained right patellar tendon but missed just the minimum 10 days. He then missed the remainder of the World Series after suffering an oblique injury in Game 3. In May 2024, García missed a few games due to a forearm injury.
This past season was the toughest on García. In August, he missed 10 days with a sprained left ankle. He then was day-to-day after a quadriceps issue in early September but was moved to the 10-day IL, although he was out just 12 days total. He returned to the lineup right after, but reinjured the same area, putting a damper on the end of his season before his inevitable release.
The injuries aren't great, especially considering the soft tissue ailments. But there is a bright side: none of these issues resulted in an extended stay on the sideline. All the injury designations were 10 days or less.
Castellanos had his health to lean on when his production started to slip, so García will hopefully try to stay on the field as often as possible and set a new standard of outfield play. He's played an average of 148 games per season, so you take the good with the bad at this point.
The Phillies are taking a chance signing a non-tendered player like García. The $10 million spent on him will be talked about as long as Castellanos is still on the roster. Even though he's missed some games due to injury, it will be overlooked if he still plays the majority of the time. It's always a gamble when a club signs a player down on his luck, but once in a while, you hit the jackpot.