The Miami Marlins have agreed to terms on a four-year, $53 million deal with free agent outfielder Avisaíl García, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. García was No. 44 in CBS Sports’ ranking of the top 50 free agents this offseason.
García, 30, was the NL Central champion Brewers‘ everyday right fielder last season. In 135 games, he hit .262/.330/.490 (117 OPS+) with 18 doubles, 29 homers, 86 RBI, 68 runs and eight stolen bases. He’s spent time in center field before, but he’s much more well-suited on a corner and has a good enough arm that he should remain in right field.
It’s entirely possible the Marlins aren’t done adding to their roster, but as things stand, it would be likely they’d head into Opening Day 2022 with García in right field — and in a prominent lineup spot like the three hole — Brian De La Cruz in center and and Jesús Sánchez in left field. Lewis Brinson could figure in the mix, but he’s heading toward his age-28 season and still hasn’t proven he can hit big-league pitching.
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The Marlins were 67-95 last season, but there are plenty of reasons to believe their pitching is in great shape heading toward next year behind the likes of Trevor Rogers, Sandy Alcantara, Pablo Lopez and possibly a turnaround campaign from Jesus Luzardo.
It is the offense that needed work and while we can’t expect the Marlins to spend a ton of money, their payroll had been totally stripped to the bone. Perhaps this move is the first of several made by general manager Kim Ng and her front office here heading toward a 2022 where they hope to take a big step forward in the NL East.
