It was likely that the Philadelphia Phillies were going to make a change in right field following the end of their season last year. They found Nick Castellanos' replacement back in December when they agreed to a one-year, $10 million contract with Adolis García. García struggled the last two seasons with the Texas Rangers after a career year and an ALCS MVP in 2023. So, what does the new Phillies addition need to do in 2026 to make fans forget about Nick Castellanos?
After being unsuccessful in finding a trade suitor for Castellanos this offseason, the Phillies released him on Thursday. García could make the fan base forget about the former Phillies outfielder as he's on a one-year deal that he could use as motivation to sign a new contract next offseason.
What does Adolis García need to do to make Phillies fans forget about Nick Castellanos?
García is certainly capable of making Phillies fans forget about Castellanos. If the Ciego de Avila, Cuba, native can replicate his 2022-23 offensive numbers this year, that will certainly do it.
However, that may be unrealistic considering his struggles the last two seasons. In 135 games last year, García totaled 19 home runs, 75 RBIs, and a .227/.271/.394 slash line with a .665 OPS. Castellanos finished with 17 homers, 72 RBIs, and slashed .250/.294/.400 with a .694 OPS in 147 contests.
According to Steamer projections on FanGraphs, García is projected to finish with 22 home runs, 66 RBIs, and a slash line of .237/.296/.432 along with a .728 OPS in 120 games this year. He will need to finish with better numbers than this to be considered an improvement over Castellanos. This may be wishful thinking, but if García can hit between 25-30 homers and 90-100 RBIs, that would be considered an improvement over Castellanos.
After two stellar plays in the field, Adolis García shows off his pop at the plate 💪 pic.twitter.com/zIhrnao29c
— MLB (@MLB) June 20, 2025
Defensively, García should be an improvement in right field over Castellanos. According to Baseball Savant, García rated above average with a 66th percentile +2 fielding run value (FRV), a 71st percentile +1 outs above average (OAA), and 70th percentile arm value in addition to excellent 92nd percentile arm strength.
García also posted 16 defensive runs saved (DRS) last year to lead all right fielders. Castellanos, on the other hand, finished the year with -11 DRS, the second-worst mark among right fielders.
Castellanos also ranked 135th out of 137 qualified outfielders with -12 FRV, while his -12 OAA tied for the lowest. As a former Gold Glove winner, there's a good chance García will make Phillies fans forget about Castellanos defensively when they see him patrolling right field at Citizens Bank Park this season.
There's a better chance that García will give the Phillies their money's worth, considering he will earn half of what Castellanos would have been paid in the last season of his five-year deal. It's unlikely that García matches his career numbers from three or four seasons ago. However, he's still capable of compiling solid offensive numbers and playing above-average defense, which will hopefully help us all forget about Castellanos.