After months of consternation about what the Philadelphia Phillies would finally do with right fielder Nick Castellanos this offseason, there may finally be some closure. Instead of going the trade route to find a new right fielder, they signed free agent Adolis García to a one-year, $10 million contract on Monday.
Value-wise, the deal is the same as the Max Kepler signing from last offseason, but García coming to Philadelphia means Castellanos should have his bags packed and ready. It's been known for a while that the Phillies have been actively trying to shop him and this signing is the final nail in the coffin.
Castellanos is going into 2026 on the final year of his five-year, $100 million contract. He's owed $20 million in 2026, Between his inconsistent play, poor defensive metrics, and clashes with manager Rob Thomson it's easy to see why the Phillies have been looking to move on from him since the offseason began.
In 2025, Castellanos hit .250 with 17 home runs and 72 RBI. He also accumulated -0.8 bWAR, the worst of his career.
As MLB insider Jon Heyman notes, Castellanos has now officially been replaced, despite a new home not yet being found.
Nick Castellanos will be gone one way or another from Philly. $20M to go for 2026. You’d think some team would pay some small fraction of it, but in any case, he’s been replaced. Adolis is the new RF. $10M for Adolis fwiw.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 15, 2025
Phillies' Adolis García signing should be an upgrade over Nick Castellanos in right field
García was non-tendered by the Texas Rangers in November, coming off a campaign where he hit .227 with 19 home runs and 75 RBIs. He also struggled with a career-worst .665 OPS in 135 games.
The Phillies are hoping García can bounce back to his 2023 season, when he hit 39 home runs and pushed the Rangers to a 2023 World Series championship. It might feel like the possibility that he's just a fill-in, but he presents a defensive presence that Phillies fans should feel refreshed to see.
The Phillies haven't seen good outfield play in right field since Bryce Harper manned the position. His reconstructive elbow surgery took him out of the field partway through 2022, and Castellanos has been there ever since.
Castellanos is good at getting the outs when he can, but his very limited range and arm have made him a liability. Per Statcast, García in 2025 was in the 92nd percentile in arm strength, with an average throw of 91.9 mph. Among 36 qualified right fielders in 2025, García posted a +1 outs above average, 12th-best in that group. Castellanos tied with Juan Soto for last with a -12 outs above average.
The Phillies knew they needed a change of scenery with Castellanos' inconsistencies and lack of threat with the bat in his hand, and García could be an easy answer to plug into a loaded Phillies' lineup. He tends to be a free swinger at times, much like Castellanos, but with more pop and a cannon in the outfield.
The Phillies required a new face in the outfield, and García could be that low-risk spark that could drive an offense from the middle of the batting order. He has the chance to make Citizens Bank Park small, something that Castellanos failed to do a lot of his time in Philadelphia.