Like many players who started their baseball careers in their native Cuba, outfielder Adolis Garcia took a rocky and sometimes circuitous route to the major leagues. And his career took another unexpected turn on Friday thanks to a drastic decision by the club that he played for since 2020.
After playing four seasons for Tigres de Ciego de Avila, who won the Cuban National Series in 2012, Garcia’s first season at age 18, the outfielder took advantage of a program that allowed Cuban players to play in Japan’s professional leagues.
Garcia never adjusted to life, or baseball, in Japan, lasting just four games with the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants of the Central League in 2016. He then engineered his defection from Cuba and ultimately signed in 2017 with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Postseason Hero For Texas
He made a brief big-league debut with St. Louis, appearing in just 21 games in 2018 before St. Louis sold his contract for cash to the Texas Rangers in December 2019.
By 2023, Garcia had established himself as a two-time All-Star with Texas. His 39 home runs and Gold Glove-winning outfield defense played a major role in getting the Rangers to only the third World Series in franchise history dating back to the team’s founding as the expansion Washington Senators in 1961 â and even better, they won it, for the first time.
Garcia tore through the postseason, with a 1.108 OPS and eight home runs in 15 games, winning the American League Championship Series MVP award along the way. That was just two years ago, a time when it seemed inconceivable that the Rangers would part with Garcia for nothing.
Dodgers Expected to Look at Garcia
But that is exactly what happened on Friday when, rather than pay him a projected $12.75 million salary, decided in arbitration, the Rangers non-tendered Garcia, declining to offer him a contract for 2026 at all.
Now, the back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, according to one report, will likely take a look at signing Garcia, who became a free agent immediately upon the Rangers making their decision to non-tender the 32-year-old official.
“The Dodgers need an outfielder to replace Michael Conforto,” wrote Noah Camras of Dodgers Nation on Friday. “They arenât expected to go all-in on a long-term contract. Instead, they could look for a shorter-term option, one who would fill the teamâs hole for a year or two until their plethora of top outfield prospects are ready for the majors.”
Garcia fits that bill.
Downfall a Quick One
The problem is that the version of Garcia who was a postseason hero for Texas in 2023 appears to have vanished.
“The two-time All-Star’s downfall has been swift,” stated an MLB.com report Friday. “He had a .684 OPS in 2024 and was even worse in â25 (.665).”
But the Dodgers may gamble that they can revitalize the Cuban native.
“Garcia, while he fits the role of a slugger who gets better in the postseason, likely isnât the most seamless fit,” wrote Camras. “However, L.A. will likely do its due diligence as they look to fill one of their only real holes this offseason, along with the bullpen.”
Garcia was one of four players non-tendered by the Rangers on Friday. The other three were right-handed pitcher Josh Sborz, six-year veteran Jacob Webb â another righty arm â and in perhaps the most surprising decision, catcher Jonah Heim.
Heim caught 595 games in five seasons with Texas, earning an All-Star selection and Gold Glove in 2023.
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