The Yankees have acquired first baseman Luis Garcia Jr. from the Nationals, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Sherman reported earlier today that the Bronx Bombers were pushing to complete a deal. ESPN’s Jeff Passan writes that Washington will receive four players in return, with USA Today’s Bob Nightengale citing right-hander Yovanny Cruz as part of the trade package, and The Athletic’s Spencer Nusbaum reporting that right-handers Jack Cebert, Ben Grable, and Jake Bird as the other three players going to D.C.
Given how the Yankees’ offense has largely cratered since Aaron Judge went to the injured list, Garcia is a logical addition, if a bit of an imperfect fit in the lineup. Garcia has played only first base this season, and the Yankees already have Ben Rice and Paul Goldschmidt sharing time at the position when Rice isn’t the DH. Giancarlo Stanton’s return to the DH spot will also cut into those at-bats. The Yankees already have a lineup full of left-handed hitters, and were known to be primarily looking for righty bats for balance.
It could be that Garcia’s numbers were just too good for the Yankees to overlook, lefty bat notwithstanding. The 26-year-old is having a career year, hitting .283/.313/.560 with 23 home runs over 374 plate appearances.
More to come….
