The Phillies have agreed to a one-year free agent deal Anolis Garciareports Francs Romero of Beisbolfr.com. Still waiting for the physical. He will get $10mm guaranteed in the contract, according to the report. Garcia is represented by the octagon.
Garcia was drafted by the Rangers last month. He was targeted for a salary of $12.1mm in 2026, his final arbitration year, per MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz. Texas, wanting to cut Payroll and also look at the Confession that was already free and prone to low percentages, moved forward from garcia rather than returning to that price.
Back in 2023, Garcia was the focal point of the case that renews the Rangers’ title for the first time in the world. He hit 39 homers while hitting .245/.328/.508 defensively in right field. That alone made him one of the smartest DFA pickups in recent memory, but it’s not often that he emerges from the station to emerge as a key piece like many expected at the time. His 2024 numbers took a big step back (.224 / .284 / .400), and in 2025 he hit just .227 / .271 / .394. Increasingly, Garcia became the epitome of the boom-or-bust tosong that the crowd was trying to escape.
Garcia, 33 in March, still communicates with fame when he connects with the ball, reaching 92.1 mph off the bat and posting a stout 46.7% average. However, his expulsion rate from the Party went from 29.5% in 2023 to 2025% in 2025. Hitting a little more than every five pitches inside the strike zone is nothing new for Garcia, but that error has combined to increase the percentage of pitches he’s willing to swear.
The Phillies will hope for a return to that 2023 form — or at least something closer to that form than Garcia’s 2024-25 numbers. Matt Gelb of sports reports will go as the Phillies new right to die phillies. That is a role that was previously held Nick Castellanosthe Phils have been hoping for a trade throughout the offsuason.
One way or another, the Castellanos’ time in Philadelphia seems all but over. He is expected to be released in the absence of a trade. The 33-year-old (March 34) owes the season $ 20mm at the end of the five-year period, $ 100mm which is not at all as the Phillies are hoping for. That was never more difficult than in 2025, when Capellanos hit a career-worst .250 / .294 / .400 and was subject to those limited numbers and his previous poor defense.
If nothing else, Garcia represents a huge defensive upgrade over Castellanos, who has long been viewed as a player fit for a DH-only job. Garcia has posted strong defensive marks in every category except 2024. His poor defensive marks that season can be attributed to a knee injury suffered late in 2023, when Garcia hit the roster with a tendellar talen. He came back from that fake and was a force at the plate in the Lower Pack, but Gracia’s (matrical’s Sprint (comstat) speed was down in 2024.
Still, the statcast painted the reason for Garcia’s 2024 DOWNE decline in defense as a major loss of range — his arm was still there — that brought him back so far in ’25. It is reasonable to expect that the former Gold Global winner provides above – average, if not defensively. Compared to Castellanos, who was seeded in runs saved last year, Garcia’s mark of +16 in that same category is a similar improvement.
There’s also some hope that a change in position could bring some revenge in the batter’s box. Garcia will work with legendary hitting coach Kevin Long in Philadelphia and be surrounded by veteran hitters, including Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper and Turner Turner. He’ll be playing in a home park that’s friendlier than the home turf of a star player and a strong supporter around him in Philadelphia.
Adding Garcia to attack Philadelphia’s Payroll north of $ 266mm, with rosterRerource, while pressing the tax obligations of the group with benefits to REP $ 297mm. The Phillies were already in the third luxury Tier and are now within a few million of hitting the fourth and final bracket. They will pay a 95% tax on Garcia’s annual value, meaning he will actually cost the Phillies $19.5mm overall. That figure could change if the Phils are able to shed one of Castellanos’ deals in a trade or if they move other pieces, but the Phillies likely won’t either. They will probably end up in that bad top tier – or at least in the third tier, where they currently reside.
The FILS will likely have Garcia in right field as well Brandon marsh in left field most days. They are looking at the addition of Counter Center field but also have high hopes Justin Crawford Closer to the MLB look. Johan rojas you can temporarily find the center if Crawford is not ready; ROJAS is a light hitter but also a defender who had little league options left. He’s a fourth- or third-down tight end, depending on the rest of the offseason additions slide and how Crawford looks this spring.
It doesn’t matter if the points in the middle can be, this should be the best defensive unit in the metrics of 2026, and the garcia-ball-ball-ball records and the record creates some hope that they can be very good on the line, too. It’s a bit of a stretch for a one-year-old when it comes to adjusting to a combined strikeout, but Garcia comes with good defensive chops and more upside than most players available at this price point.
