Yankees Acquire Breakout Slugger in Trade With Nationals

García, 26, is currently having the best season of his seven-year big league career. In 104 games, the lefty slugger has produced a .283/.313/.560 slash line with a career-high 23 home runs and 76 RBIs. He entered Sunday leading the National League in slugging percentage and is under club control through the end of 2027.

Over his last seven games, García has hit .367 with four doubles, one triple, two home runs, six RBIs and two runs scored. He was initially penciled in to bat second for the Nationals during Sunday’s series finale against the Atlanta Braves before becoming a late scratch.

Washington has shielded García from left-handed pitching this season, limiting him to just 57 plate appearances against southpaws. The lefty slugger has produced a .621 OPS in that sample, which is well below the .918 OPS he has put up over 317 plate appearances against righties.

García is somewhat of an unnatural fit for the Yankees, who have been searching for right-handed bats in the absence of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. He has also exclusively played first base this season, a position that is occupied by Ben Rice and Paul Goldschmidt.

Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reported that García is likely to become the first baseman against righties, while the right-handed-hitting Goldschmidt would start only against lefties. This would leave Rice as the primary designated hitter, at least until Stanton is ready to return.

García does have experience at second base, though he was credited with -17 defensive runs saved there last season. He has been a serviceable defender since moving to first base full-time, putting up zero DRS and zero Outs Above Average over 659 innings this season.

In return, the Nationals are getting a pair of experienced big league relievers as well as two of the Yankees’ top 30 prospects.

Cebert, 24, was ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Yankees’ No. 14 prospect prior to the trade. Since being promoted to Double-A Somerset in late April, the 6-foot-3 right-hander has posted a 4.90 ERA and 1.38 WHIP with 79 strikeouts over 64.1 innings. His pitch mix includes an upper-90s fastball and high-spin slider, as well as a cutter and changeup.

Grable, 24, ranked No. 25 in the Yankees’ system. He has made 32 Double-A appearances this season, posting a 2.45 ERA and 0.85 WHIP with 56 strikeouts in 36.2 innings. Much like Cebert, he features a lively fastball and a mid-80s slider.

Both Bird and Cruz have bounced between Triple-A and the major league level this season. Bird posted a 5.93 ERA and 1.55 WHIP over 30.1 innings with the Yankees, while Cruz allowed one run on three hits with six strikeouts in 5.1 MLB innings.