Outfielder Avisail Garcia underwent surgery to treat both a fracture and a disc issue in his lower back today, according to a report from The New York Post’s Jon Heyman. A timetable for his recovery was not provided.
The news comes just a few months after the Marlins decided to release the veteran outfielder partway through the third season of his four-year, $53MM deal with the club. It became clear almost immediately that the deal was a mistake on the part of the Marlins as Garcia’s first season in Miami saw him hit a paltry .224/.266/.317 (61 wRC+) in 380 trips to the plate. He spent nearly two months on the IL due to hamstring issues near the end of that year, and a combination of back and hamstring issues limited the veteran to just 169 trips to the plate over the next two seasons prior to his release.
Garcia had struggled badly throughout his limited time on the field over the past two seasons, as well. In those aforementioned 169 plate appearances, he struck out at a 30.8% clip while slashing just .203/.246/.335 (53 wRC+). Those ghastly numbers were certainly more than enough justification for the Marlins to move on from the veteran and dedicate his playing time to young players. With that being said, news of Garcia’s surgery provides an interesting bit of context to his deep struggles with the Marlins—particularly given the fact that he missed three months due to a back injury in 2023.
Given the amount of time Garcia spent on the IL during his tenure in Miami, it’s not hard to imagine his back and hamstring issues played a large role in his sudden decline. After all, the outfielder was coming off a strong platform season where he posted a 115 wRC+ and slugged 29 homers for the Brewers. On top of that, Garcia had a track record of solid production dating back half a decade at that point. After generally being a below average hitter early in his career, from 2017 to 2021 Garcia slashed .278/.335/.464 (113 wRC+) while oscillating between being roughly league average and above average with the bat depending on the year.
Garcia did not sign with another club this year following Miami’s decision to part ways with him, but it’s possible that news of his back surgery could lead to interest from clubs who wonder if he might be able to regain some of his old form if he’s now properly healthy. That’s likely a long-shot to come to pass with Garcia staring own his age-34 season after three straight unproductive campaigns, but it’s still feasible to imagine a club taking a no-risk minor league flier on him this offseason. If Garcia were to make an MLB roster next year, his new club would only be on the hook for a pro-rated portion of the big league minimum while the Marlins pay out his $12MM salary for 2025.
And all 30 teams react the same way they would if I had a press release saying the same thing.
Practically free for any team that wants to take a flier on him in spring training
FREE you say???
Avisail, the White Sox are calling. Pick up.
You’re back in their price range.
Mind boggling that he received a contract like that in the first place. Never been anything special.
Went from Mini Miggy to Uncle Avi lol
Wasn’t he, when back with the Tigers, involved in some dust up with Prince Fielder?
Wow, how long ago was that?
Good luck!! The back was not the problem.
Perfect candidate for a team with low expectations on a minor league deal lottery ticket hope you can flip him for something at the deadline. Makes sense for a team like the Marlins.
No upside for Garcia. He’s too old and limited as a player. You can use him as minor league filler but a bad team is better off giving a young guy a shot.
He won’t generate enough value to get anything worthwhile back. Almost a better add for a competitive team that wants some experienced depth if injuries strike.
Ahhh……
It’s “…you can flip him for something at the deadline” season again at MLBTR!
Looking forward to reading another thousand or two posts like this over the next few months.
LOL
I don’t think even 5% of the damaged players signed in the past 3-4 off-seasons where posters justified it by writing: “you can flip him for something at the deadline” were actually flipped for something at the deadline. Most players were released long before that.
Hilarious!
That would make for a nice little quantitative research project.
If you have the time on your hands and want an A on your report card
This was an awful contract the minute it was signed. Good for Garcia, but terrible for the Marlins. Reason #***** why that team hasn’t done anything in 2 decades.
It was laughable. He had a good contract, but pretty much below replacement for most of his career. He never exceeded 20 HRs until his walk year in Mil. He hits 29, then Miami thinks he has found the fountain of youth, at age 31.
Don’t most players have their best hitting years at age 31-34? One of the worst contracts I’ve ever seen.
Kim Ng’s FA signings were essentially all horrible.
“He wore his welcome out years ago!”-Jerry R.
At his weight, age, surgery for disc issue and fracture, and declining skil? Time to enjoy the millions stashed away in retirement
Quick, someone tell me how great Kim Ng was because this signing couldn’t be her fault. Everyone is always so scared to say she ever made a bad move because of obvious reasons
That’s an old injury and not a disc. That was Prince Fielder’s foot he’s finally getting removed.
No thank you. Avi is cooked, would rather have one of the many young guys struggle for tryouts next season.