The Washington Nationals traded first baseman Luis García Jr. to the New York Yankees for right-handed pitchers Jack Cebert, Ben Grable, Jake Bird, and Yovanny Cruz, the teams announced Sunday.
The 26-year-old García is having a career year for the Nationals, with 23 home runs and 76 RBIs in 357 at-bats. His .560 slugging percentage leads the NL and is third in MLB behind Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros and future teammate Ben Rice of the Yankees.
New York already has two first basemen on the roster in Rice and Paul Goldschmidt. García, a left-handed hitter who does most of his damage against righties, will likely platoon with Goldschmidt while Rice operates as the designated hitter until Giancarlo Stanton returns from a calf injury. The Yankees are also playing without three-time AL MVP Aaron Judge, who is sidelined with a fractured rib.
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