While the Los Angeles Dodgers moved to re-sign Scott Alexander and Austin Barnes, avoiding arbitration with both players, and tendered contracts to several others, Yimi Garcia was non-tendered earlier this month and immediately became a free agent.
The decision wasn’t much of a surprise, considering the right-hander struggled throughout the season and has yet to find any sustained success since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2016.
Although Garcia returning to the Dodgers — perhaps on a Minor League deal — was possible, it wasn’t considered a likely scenario. That now can officially be ruled out as Garcia agreed to a contract with the Miami Marlins, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post:
#Marlins are in agreement pending physical with reliever Yimi Garcia.
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) December 12, 2019
Garcia’s deal is a Major League contract, per insider Craig Mish:
Can confirm Marlins signed RP Yimi Garcia as @Joelsherman1 noted. Source says it is a Major League Deal. Immediately goes into bullpen mix for Miami.
— Craig Mish (@CraigMish) December 12, 2019
Garcia posted a sub-3.00 ERA in June, July and August, but continued to be hamstrung by the home run ball. He surrendered 15 over 62.1 innings pitched, which was the third-most home runs allowed per nine innings among qualified relief pitchers.
The long ball offset the fact that Garcia held opponents to a .178 batting average and had 66 strikeouts against 14 walks this past season. He finished the year 1-4 with three blown saves, a 3.61 ERA and 0.87 WHIP.
Over parts of five seasons with the Dodgers he had a 3.66 ERA and 0.99 WHIP with 166 strikeouts across 159.2 innings.
The Dodgers tendered contracts to Pedro Baez, Cody Bellinger, Kiké Hernandez, Max Muncy, Joc Pederson, Corey Seager, Ross Stripling, Chris Taylor and Julio Urias, and have yet to agree to deals with any of them.
Salary figures will be exchanged in January should both sides fail to come to terms on a new deal. Arbitration hearings would then be held in February. The sides are allowed to continue contract talks after exchanging figures.
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman hasn’t gone to arbitration at any point in his tenure with the team, and their last hearing was in 2007 with Joe Beimel.
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