The New York Yankees have acquired infielder Luis Garcia Jr. from the Washington Nationals, sending four players in return, as first reported by ESPN.
Washington will receive Yovanny Cruz, Jake Bird, Ben Grable and Jack Ceber, none of whom are regarded as high-level prospects. The Daily Mail has sought comment from both teams.
Despite the Nationals' relatively low asking price, Garcia represents a major acquisition for a Yankees team that has been without injured sluggers Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton. The New York-born, Dominican-raised Garcia is hitting283 with 23 home runs, numbers that outpace most of the Yankees' current batting order outside of Ben Rice.
Over seven MLB seasons, Garcia is hitting268 with a302 on-base percentage and a431 slugging percentage. This year, he led the National League with a560 slugging percentage.
Where Garcia will play
There is a question over where he will play. Much of his 2026 season has been spent at first base, while he previously played second earlier in his career.
The Yankees currently have Jazz Chisholm at second base, while Rice and Paul Goldschmidt have been splitting time at first. Chisholm does have experience at third base, although that is not a preferable option for the Yankees.
Dodgers also make a move
New York's trade comes as the Los Angeles Dodgers are acquiring reigning American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers for three prospects. If the Yankees get healthy enough for a postseason run, the general thinking is they will need all the bats they can get to compete with the two-time defending World Series champions.
Baseball's trade deadline is set for Monday at 6pm EST. The Yankees currently hold a 6.5-game edge in the Wild Card standings, while trailing the Tampa Bay Rays by 2.5 games in the AL East.
