The Free Agency Signing the Phillies Might Already Regret

Who is the free agency signing the Philadelphia Phillies might regret making?

Aug 18, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Former Philadelphia Phillies president Dave Dombrowski during Phillies Alumni Weekend and the 20th anniversary of Citizens Bank Park before game against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies have gotten off to a very slow start to the season, but the team is hoping that some recent changes will help them turn things around. 

Following a disastrous start to the year, the Phillies are trying to build some momentum following the firing of their manager, Rob Thomson. With a (9-19) start to the campaign, it wasn’t overly surprising that Philadelphia elected to fire their manager. 

Even though Thomson might have won them a lot of games during the regular season, he came up short the past two postseasons, which likely made the seat a bit warm heading into the year. 

Taking over for Thomson is veteran coach Don Mattingly. With experience as a manager already, Mattingly is certainly qualified to lead the Phillies, but he will need some of his players to step up. Even though it was Thomson who got fired, a main reason for the struggles of Philadelphia has been the performance of the lineup. 

This was an area that figured to be a need in the offseason, and the front office wasn’t able to do much to improve it. Of their signings, one of the most notable was Adolis Garcia from the Texas Rangers. Unfortunately, with the right-handed slugger struggling, this is a move the team might be regretting already. 

Garcia Has Not Been a Good Signing

Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Adolis Garcia | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

With a desire to improve outfield production from the right side of the plate, the Phillies landed the former World Series champion on a one-year, $10 million deal. After a couple of down years with Texas, Philadelphia was hoping that the 33-year-old still had something left in the tank. However, the results for the most part haven’t been great, and he has been a reason why the team has struggled offensively. 

With the Phillies putting him near the middle of the order most nights, Garcia’s production hasn’t been up to par. In 30 games, he has slashed .243/.317/.393 with three home runs and nine RBI. With an OPS just over .700, the slugger isn’t providing the team with what they need. 

As Philadelphia continues to try and claw their way back to .500, getting more production out of their lineup is going to be key. Garcia has shown in the past that he can be an impact player in the lineup. However, the last time that was seen was in 2023, which is a while ago now. Even though it was just a one-year deal, the Phillies might be regretting putting their faith in a slugger who has struggled quite a bit.