The Royals have made it clear they are looking to upgrade their outfield, but the options are limited in a thin free agent market. That market received an unexpected addition when the Rangers non-tendered two-time All-Star outfielder Adolis García earlier this offseason. Ken Rosenthal at The Athletic reports the Royals may be priced out on free agents like Harrison Bader, who is seeking a three-year deal, and may instead pursue lower-cost options, including García. Would he be a good fit?
García played in the Cuban league before defecting in 2016 and signing with St. Louis. He received a cup of coffee with the Cardinals in 2018, but spent all of 2019 in the minors, despite hitting 32 home runs. The Rangers purchased him, and he blossomed in 2021, hitting 31 home runs, earning his first All-Star appearance, and finishing fourth in Rookie of the Year voting. He peaked in 2023, hitting career-best numbers in home runs (39), RBI (107), walks (65), on-base percentage (.328), slugging percentage (.508), OPS+ (127), and rWAR (4.5). He also earned a Gold Glove Award that year, and went on an amazing postseason run, hitting .323/.382/.726 with eight home runs in 15 games as the Rangers won the pennant.
García’s numbers slumped over the next two seasons, however, as his free-swinging approach began to catch up to him. He hit 25 home runs in 2024, but hit just .224 with 177 strikeouts. His numbers declined even further in 2025, as he hit .227/.271/.394 with 19 home runs and a career-worst 93 OPS+. However, his defense was as great as ever, and he was still a 2.7 rWAR player. Still, the Rangers elected to part ways with him in his final year of arbitration, rather than pay him an estimated $12 million salary.
García is a big whiffer. Only three players in baseball have struck out more since he joined the Rangers in 2021, and he has a 27.9 percent strikeout rate over that time. He also has the 19th-best hard-hit rate over that time. His average exit velocity improved this year, and it and his barrel rate are still among the best in baseball.
But his poor plate discipline has begun to catch up to him. He hit .153/.209/.236 with two strikes on him last year, the fifth-worst line among players with at least 300 such plate appearances. As Ben Clemens at Fangraphs wrote:
The problem is that sketchy plate discipline meant he was often behind in the count, lunging at pitches off the plate or striking out. García’s game always felt balanced on a knife’s edge, and when he’s too aggressive, pitchers just don’t give him enough to hit.
Still, García’s diminished offensive numbers would have been an upgrade over what the Royals had last year. And his defense still makes him a positive contributor. He was third among all outfielders in Defensive Runs Saved last year and was a finalist for a Gold Glove Award. He is also a positive on the bases, with 13 steals last year and 1.4 Baserunning Runs.
García has primarily played right field in his career. With the Royals, he would either move to left or they would have him split time with Jac Caglianone in right. García is a right-handed bat, but has traditionally hit lefties worse than righties, including last year.
García will turn 33 in March, and with his recent trendlines, it would be unwise to commit to him to a multi-year deal. There may very well be some production left in his bat, but it seems likely he would have to settle for a one-year, “make good” contract to show his bat hasn’t fallen off a cliff. That may be a good gamble for a team like the Royals that could use that kind of power, even if it comes with a low batting average and high strikeout rate, especially if it comes with solid defense in spacious Kauffman Stadium.
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