The Philadelphia Phillies have a lot of questions to answer in their outfield, but they might have been given an opportunity to go out and land a pretty good player to fix some of those.
It was announced that the Texas Rangers decided to non-tender Adolis Garcia, who was once one of the better players on their roster.
Garcia was a World Series hero in 2023, hitting massive home runs for the Rangers when it mattered most.
Despite some of his struggles in recent years, there's reason to believe he could be a decent fit in Philadelphia.
At the very least, he shouldn't cost much, so if he can return to his 2021-2023 forms, in seasons where he was a 100-plus OPS+ hitter with relative ease and also hit at least 27 home runs in all of them, he'd be an upgrade.
For Matt Grazel, that's the reason why he believes the Rangers just handed the Phillies a player they can't pass up on.
“There is a risk with signing García, considering how many of his offensive statistics have plummeted since 2023. However, the Phillies would be buying low on a player who has shown what he is capable of regarding home run and RBI production. He would be a candidate to rebound, playing often at hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park.
“Manager Rob Thomson could use him in right field or as their designated hitter depending on Kyle Schwarber’s status. García is one option Thomson could consider using García in a potential DH rotation if Schwarber does not re-sign with the organization. As for the rest of the Phillies outfield, Nick Castellanos will be traded or released, and both Harrison Bader and Max Kepler are free agents. Bader may or may not return, while Kepler certainly won't,” he wrote.
As he touched on, it isn't always the case that the player would be a perfect fit for Philadelphia, as Garcia has questions, but with Harrison Bader and Max Kepler being free agents, Nick Castellanos likely being moved on from, and already having a below-average outfield, the Phillies clearly need to make something happen.
It'll be interesting to see them go after a player like Garcia in some sense because of his struggles, but we can't take away what he did earlier in his career.
If it's a cheap deal, it wouldn't be the worst idea.