What Yankees expect from Luis Garcia Jr.: ‘This trade is really good for us!’
Baseball's trade deadline is 6 p.m. ET Monday.
The New York Yankees improved their roster on Monday, acquiring Luis Garcia Jr. from the Washington Nationals in a trade ahead of the 6 p.m. ET trade deadline. The Yankees, who have struggled with offensive production, particularly with Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger on the injured list, saw Garcia's name added to their lineup. Garcia has been an impressive force in the National League, hitting .283 with 23 home runs and 75 RBI in 104 games this season.
With numbers like these, Yankees third baseman Amed Rosario praised the trade, stating, "Really good player... A lot of power. Really nice guy, too. Quiet. Yeah, this trade is really good for us!"
In exchange for Garcia, the Nationals sent the Yankees four pitchers: rookie reliever Yovanny Cruz, Triple-A reliever Jake Bird, Double-A starter Jack Cebert, and Double-A reliever Ben Grable. Bird and Cebert are both top-30 prospects in the Yankees' organization, while Cruz is a promising 101-mph fastball right-hander who made his major league debut just days before the trade.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone expressed his excitement about Garcia's addition, noting his ability to hit against right-handed pitching and his fit for the Yankees' ballpark. Garcia is expected to start at first base against right-handed pitchers and play first against lefties. His platoon skills allow for versatility, with Ben Rice potentially taking on catcher duties moving forward.
The Yankees hope Garcia will help revitalize their offensive struggles, which have left them scoring three or fewer runs 24 times in their last 39 games since June 18.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
