The New York Yankees, in need of a spark on offense, acquired infielder Luis Garcia Jr. from the Washington Nationals on Sunday.
The Nationals will acquire four right-handed pitchers in return: relievers Jake Bird and Yovanny Cruz, who have spent time in the majors this season, and prospects Jack Cebert and Ben Grable.
Garcia, 26, leads the National League in slugging percentage at .560 and ranks third in the majors behind Houston’s Yordan Alvarez and the Yankees’ Ben Rice. Garcia has recorded career highs of 23 home runs, 76 RBIs and a .283 average through 104 games in his seventh MLB season, all with Washington.
The Nationals converted Garcia to a first baseman this season after he spent most of his career as a second baseman. He also has made 66 career starts at shortstop.
Garcia is under team control through 2027.
The Yankees scored exactly two runs in each game of their weekend series at the Chicago Cubs, though they managed to win two of the three. Their offense has slumped for an extended span with Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Cody Bellinger on the shelf. None are expected back in the immediate future.
Bird, 30, was 1-1 with a 5.93 ERA in 36 appearances out of New York’s bullpen this season. He was acquired from the Colorado Rockies at the trade deadline a year ago. In 227 career games for Colorado (2022-25) and New York, he has gone 12-12 with one save and a 4.90 ERA.
Cruz, 26, made his major league debut May 20 and returned to the big leagues this weekend after the Yankees dealt reliever Camilo Doval to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Cruz allowed three hits and one run in 5 1/3 innings (1.69 ERA) over four appearances.
Cebert and Grable, both 24, were the Nos. 14 and 25 prospects in the Yankees’ farm system, according to MLB Pipeline.
–Field Level Media
