The Philadelphia Phillies made an under the radar move on Monday, Dec. 15, as they signed free agent slugger Adolis Garcia to a one-year, $10 million deal. Garcia spent the first five seasons of his career with the Texas Rangers, where he won the World Series in 2023.
Garcia, 32, is coming off of the least productive season of his career. He slugged 19 home runs and 75 RBI, but had just a .227 batting average and a .665 OPS. Still, he has immense power, and this deal could turn out to be a steal if he reverts back to the player he was from 2021 to 2023, when he slugged 97 homers for the Rangers.
Garcia was an absolute force on the Rangers 2023 World Series winning team. During their run, he had eight home runs, 22 RBI, a .323 batting average, and an outstanding 1.108 OPS in the 15 game stretch. He was named the ALCS MVP.
As a team with World Series aspirations and the roster to back it up, Garcia clearly has a penchant for the big moment, so his signing could pay off come October 2026.
Garcia May Be Replacement Plan For Nick Castellanos
Any hope Philadelphia fans had that the team might re-sign Nick Castellanos went out the window with Garcia’s signing.
Castellanos and the Phillies have had a contentious offseason so far, leading to speculation that he wouldn’t be on the roster come opening day in 2026. It seems like that’s the direction the team is leaning at this point following the acquisition of Garcia.
Garcia and Castellanos are pretty interchangeable as far as their bats go. Castellanos has had far more consistency and has played longer, but Garcia’s upside that he showed in Texas is higher than Castellanos’.
Where Garcia would be a massive upgrade over Castellanos is in right field. Garcia finished 2025 with 16 defensive runs saved (DRS), 11th best in the MLB. Castellanos on the other hand, had -11 DRS: 1,444th out of 1,465 qualified players.
He was literally one of the worst fielders in the league.
Castellanos is still under team control through the 2026 season at $20 million. Garcia’s contract is worth half that. All reports indicate that Castellanos will either be traded or released ahead of Spring Training.
Philadelphia Looking to Capitalize on World Series Window
Outside of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Phillies have one of the most complete rosters in the league, and have for years now.
Unfortunately, they have been trounced far too early considering the talent they have in each of the last handful of seasons.
They kept their lineup strong by re-signing Kyle Schwarber, whose contract was up following the 2025 season. Schwarber earned himself a pretty penny from Philly following his 56 home run season; his deal runs for the next five seasons, at $30 million per year.
The Phillies have made efforts to retain catcher J.T. Realmuto and pitcher Ranger Suarez, who are both currently on the open market. That will likely be their main focus for the remainder of the offseason.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Phillies Sign Former ALCS MVP Outfielder to $10 Million Contract appeared first on Heavy Sports.