Adolis

García

García’s move to Philadelphia represents a much-needed environment shift that could restore some of the over-the-fence thunder. The underlying indicators – exit velocity and barrel rate – never truly abandoned him last season, even as injuries and rising swing-and-miss tendencies chipped away at his on-base percentage. The power still lives in the bat; the question is how consistently it shows up. The speed, however, has quietly receded. At 33, projecting double-digit steals feels optimistic rather than expected. There’s still usable tread on these tires, but the version of García who threatened 30/20 seasons may belong to a previous chapter. What remains is a hitter whose value will increasingly hinge on how often the ball leaves the yard.

Crawford is the favorite to start in center field for the Phillies on Opening Day. He’ll need a strong performance in Grapefruit League action to lock up the spot but he doesn’t have a ton of competition. The 22-year-old former first-round pick batted .334/.411/.452 with seven homers and 46 steals in 112 games at Triple-A Lehigh Valley this past season. He’ll make a fantasy impact in the stolen base department, but counting on anything beyond that in his first taste of the majors might be too optimistic, especially since he’s likely to bat at the bottom of the order. Here is the full lineup: Crawford (CF), Adolis García (RF), Edmundo Sosa (SS), Otto Kemp (LF), Bryan De La Cruz (DH), Rafael Marchán (C), Dylan Moore (2B), Christian Cairo (3B) and Keaton Anthony (1B).

Thomson didn’t say what order the top three guys would bat in, but that’s the order they finished last year in and there wouldn’t seem to be much reason to make a change. The Phillies have tended to rotate cleanup hitters based on whichever right-handed hitter has the hot hand, and that shouldn’t change. One imagines Adolis García will hit sixth initially, unless he can overtake Bohm this spring. Brandon Marsh will probably hit fifth against righties.

García is slated to replace Nick Castellanos as the Phillies’ right fielder, though Castellanos will remain on the roster until the team can find someone willing to take on a portion of his $20 million salary. It may or may not prove to be an offensive upgrade for the Phillies, but García has had the better OPS+ of the two three of the last four seasons (2024 was the exception) and he’ll be a big upgrade on defense. The ballpark switch should be big for García’s fantasy value, as Globe Life Park has really punished right-handed hitters the last couple of years. He’ll still likely be a liability in terms of batting average, but he could bounce back to 25-30 homers and make a run at 90 RBI.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan confirmed the agreement shortly after Romero’s initial report. It looks like the Phillies have replaced Nick Castellanos before the inevitable trade that will ship him out of town. García, the 2023 ALCS MVP, is coming off back-to-back down seasons, but he has a Gold Glove in his past and 30-home run power, so perhaps moving to Philadelphia for a change of scenery could help him recapture some of that magic. It certainly hasn’t helped his cause that Globe Life Field has been about as tough of a ballpark for right-handed hitters as any in the league the last couple of years. He should benefit from hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park and Philadelphia’s strong lineup, which makes him a top-60 range outfielder in fantasy drafts next spring.

There were multiple reports that the Rangers were trying to find a trade partner for García, but no there were evidently zero suitors. The 32-year-old power/speed combo outfielder batted just .227/.271/.394 with 19 homers and 13 stolen bases as Texas wound up missing the postseason this past year. He’ll likely find at least a one-year prove-it deal with a new club, but fantasy managers should be hesitant in believing in García based on his struggles over the last two campaigns where he’s experienced steep declines in both hard hit and barrel percentage.

García has been battling injuries the last few seasons and is entering the final year of his contract. He hit .227/.271/.394 last season with 19 home runs and 13 steals. His power production and batting average have fallen off from his 2023 high, and Jonah Heim also regressed back down to earth after his outstanding 2023 season. Passan notes that both of them could be non-tendered if a deal is not made.

It’s a bit surprising to see García return to Texas’ lineup with nothing at stake during the final weekend of the regular season, but he’s back at DH and batting cleanup for Saturday’s nationally-televised showdown in Cleveland. The 32-year-old power-hitter sat out three consecutive games earlier third week due to a lingering quad issue.

The 32-year-old slugger has been dealing with a nagging quad injury and with nothing left to play for there’s no real reason for the Rangers to push him, much to the chagrin of Tigers’ fans who would like to see the Rangers put their best effort forward against the Guardians. Billy McKinney will make his third straight start in right field and will bat eighth against Guardians’ right-hander Slade Cecconi.

García was on the bench on Wednesday, as well, after starting on Tuesday; however, he also missed both games over the weekend due to a quad injury. It remains to be seen if the Rangers will feel the need to play the 32-year-old while he’s at less than 100 percent, but he doesn’t need to be on rosters in redraft fantasy leagues anymore. Billy McKinney will start in right field for the second straight game since being called up from Triple-A.