The Marlins are designating veteran outfielder Avisail Garcia for assignment, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Garcia, who turns 33 next week, is in the third year of a four-year, $53 million contract that has turned out to be a major misstep for the team.
Craig Mish of the Miami Herald reports that former Marlins CEO Derek Jeter had “exclusive control” over the negotiations with Garcia and his agents.
Garcia signed with the Marlins following a productive 29-home run season in Milwaukee, where he posted a .262/.330/.490 slash line in his final year with the Brewers.
Despite his inconsistent performance in the years leading up to his free agency, Garcia had a solid overall batting line of .278/.335/.464 over five years, and showed a knack for hard contact with an 89.9 mph average exit velocity, a 10% barrel rate, and a 42% hard-hit rate according to Statcast.
However, Garcia’s performance with the Marlins declined rapidly.
He struggled in 2022, hitting just .224/.266/.317 and performing 37% worse than the league average according to wRC+.
His numbers worsened in 2023, as injuries limited him to 118 plate appearances in which he hit .185/.241/.315 with an unusually high strikeout rate of 33%.
This season, Garcia has been on the injured list since late April due to a hamstring strain.
Overall, Garcia’s tenure with the Marlins is likely to end with a disappointing .217/.260/.322 batting line (61 wRC+).
He is still owed about $7.612 million for the rest of this season, another $12 million for 2025, and a $5 million buyout for a 2026 club option.
While the Marlins technically have a week to try to trade Garcia, a release seems inevitable.
He cannot be placed on outright waivers due to his injury status and would likely reject a minor league assignment in favor of free agency.
No other club is expected to take on any part of his contract.
Once Garcia clears release waivers, he will become a free agent and can sign with any team.
Any new team would only owe him the prorated league minimum for the time spent on the major league roster or injured list, with that amount deducted from what the Marlins owe him.
By designating him for assignment now, Miami is effectively conceding that they will absorb the majority of the remaining money on his contract.
