TODAY : The Marlins have officially released Garcia after he cleared waivers, as per Isaac Azout of FishOnFirst and the Miami Herald ( ). JUNE 4 : The Marlins are designating veteran outfielder for a signment, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic . The 32-year-old Garcia (33 next week) is in the third season of a four-year, $53MM contract that has proven to be a substantial mi step for the organization. that former Marlins CEO Derek Jeter had exclusive control over negotiations with Garcia and his representation. That four-year contract with the Fish came on the heels of a productive 29-homer showing in Milwaukee. Garcia had hit .262/.330/.490 in his final season with the Brewers, and while hed been inconsistent on a year-over-year basis in the C.J. Beathard Jersey seasons leading up to his big Miami payday, he notched an overall .278/.335/.464 batting line in a half-decades worth of at-bats prior to putting pen to paper as a free agent in South Florida. Hed also shown a repeated knack for hard contact, logging an 89.9 mph average exit velocity, 10% barrel rate and 42% hard-hit rate in that five-year span (all via Statcast). A downward spiral for Garcia began almost immediately with the Marlins. He struggled right out of the gate in 2022, and while he did get hot for a bit in June, his overall batting line in year one of that four-year contract checked in at a tepid .224/.266/.317. By measure of wRC+, he was 37% worse than league-average at the plate. Even a modest rebound in 2023 seemed likely, but Garcias numbers went further in the wrong direction. Injuries limited him to only 118 plate appearances, during which he hit just .185/.241/.315 while fanning in an uncharacteristic 33% of his plate appearances. This season, hes been on the injured list since late April due to a hamstring strain. All in all, Garcias time with the Marlins will all but certainly draw to a close with a disastrous .217/.260/.322 batting line (61 wRC+). Hes still owed the balance of a $12MM salary this season (about $7.612MM), plus another $12MM in 2025 and a $5MM buyout on a 2026 club option. The Marlins technically have a week to try to trade Garcia, but a release is a near inevitability. He cant be placed on outright waivers because hes on the injured list and hed clear and reject a minor league a signment in favor of free agency anyhow and no other club is going to take on any portion of that contract. Once Garcia clears release waivers, hell be a free agent whos able to sign with any club. A new team would only owe the former Tigers, White Sox, Rays and Brewers slugger the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the big league roster/injured list. That sum would be subtracted from what the Marlins owe him, but by designating him for a signment now, Miami is effectively conceding that it will eat the overwhelming majority of the dead money on Garcias contract. With Garcia no longer in the fold, the Marlins will continue to deploy an outfield/DH mix including , , , and . Triple-A outfielder Jr. could eventually join that mix if he can keep up his solid .280/.347/.466 start in Jacksonville particularly if the Marlins end up moving any of their more experienced outfield options in the run-up to next months trade deadline. Marcus Dumervil Jersey