Former Brewers' outfielder calls it a career after 13 seasons in MLB

Coming off of their first back-to-back postseason appearances since the 1981 and '82 seasons, the Milwaukee Brewers signed outfielder Avisaíl García to a two-year, $20 million contract in December of 2019. At the time, the move came as a surprise to many Brewers fans; the team already had one of the best outfields in baseball in Ryan Braun, Lorenzo Cain, and Christian Yelich. As a result, it was initially difficult to see how the then-29-year-old García would factor into the mix.

Then, before García could make his Brewers debut, the world came to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the alignment of Milwaukee's outfield group took a backseat to more pressing issues. However, as a result of the altered 60-game season, MLB made several rule changes, and one of them was the implementation of a universal DH for the 2020 season (the universal DH was removed for the 2021 season but reinstated permanently beginning in 2022). In addition, Cain opted out of the 2020 season, and between the two developments, there was plenty of playing time for García, Braun, and Yelich -- roster jams always seem to work themselves out, even if it requires a global pandemic.

Due to the pandemic, García's time in Milwaukee was cut short; he ended up playing just 188 games in a Brewers uniform. His Brewers' tenure succeeded a long stint with the Chicago White Sox and brief stops with both the Detroit Tigers, where he began his career, and the Tampa Bay Rays, his final stop before signing with Milwaukee. Following the 2021 season, García landed a sizable four-year, $53 million deal with the Miami Marlins, but injuries and a steep falloff in his production led the Marlins to designate him for assignment in June of 2024. Just yesterday, after a full season away from baseball, García officially announced his retirement from MLB, closing the door on a 13-year MLB career.

Former Brewer Avisaíl García retires from MLB after 13-year career

Though García's time in Milwaukee was brief, he played an important role on the Brewers' 2021 squad that won the NL Central and looked destined to make some noise in the postseason before the Atlanta Braves came out of nowhere and eliminated them in the NLDS.

The 2020 season was nothing to write home about for García, but many players found it very difficult to find a groove during the 60-game campaign. The imposing outfielder slashed just .238/.333/.326 in 53 games in 2020, collecting -0.3 bWAR in the process.

However, the 2021 season was a different story. García, who earned the nickname "Mini Miggy" due to frequent comparisons early in his career to fellow Venezuelan Miguel Cabrera, posted a 3.1 bWAR season in 2021, slashing .262/.330/.490 with 29 homers. It was García's second-best season of his career, trailing only the 4.5 bWAR All-Star season that he put together for the White Sox back in 2017.

As previously mentioned, his strong season came at just the right time, as García earned a $53 million contract with the Marlins after his productive 2021 campaign, before his production fell off a cliff. As has become a trend in Milwaukee, the Brewers signed García at just the right time in his career and moved on from him before the aging curve came for his production.

Though not a huge part of Brewers history, García will not soon be forgotten for the contributions that he made to a division-winning team back in 2021. Had the Brewers made a little more noise in the postseason, who knows what García's legacy in Milwaukee would have turned out to be? Regardless, given his productive 2021 season in Milwaukee, Brewers fans should be wishing "Avi" all the best in his retirement.