The Washington Nationals made a notable move ahead of the trade deadline when they shipped Luis Garcia Jr. to the New York Yankees on Sunday in exchange for a return package that featured four right-handed pitchers.
Two of them — Jack Cebert and Ben Grable — were top 30 prospects in the Yankees’ pipeline, while the other two — Yovanny Cruz and Jake Bird — have major league experience and should help the Nationals solve some of their current bullpen problems.
As is the case with all trades, there are mixed reviews on what Washington got back for Garcia, who is in the midst of the best season of his career. Some fans feel underwhelmed, and Baseball Trade Values said their model believes New York underpaid to acquire Garcia.
But I don’t think that’s the case. In fact, I believe this was a fantastic trade for the Nationals that will prove to be a beneficial deal for them in the long run.
Yovanny Cruz Has Makings of Being a Big-Time Reliever
Let’s start here. Cruz looks like the real deal.
Sure, his big league sample size is small with four career appearances. But what he did during those outings certainly turned heads. For one, he have up just a single run on three hits across 5 1/3 innings. He also struck out six batters and walked only one. However, it’s the under-the-hood stuff that really should get fans excited.
Cruz had a strikeout rate of 30.0%. That’s in the 92nd percentile. His walk rate of 5.0% is also in the 90th percentile. He generated a whiff rate of 25.8%, and he caused batters to chase 35.7% of the time, which is in the 88th percentile. Add in his Stuff+ number being a ridiculous 121, and it’s easy to look at the 26-year-old as being a potential big-time reliever.
For those that need some more convincing due to his small MLB sample size, Cruz’s advanced stats were even more dominant at the Triple-A level. His strikeout rate was 34.7%, while his walk rate was 8.8%. He generated whiff and chase rates of 41.5% and 35.8%, respectively. And he had a 3.53 ERA across 31 appearances with 52 strikeouts to 14 walks in 35 2/3 innings pitched.
If Cruz can continue to pitch the way he has for the rest of the season, then he will immediately become Washington’s best reliever.
Jack Cebert, Ben Grable Give Nationals Long-Term Pitching Options
Both Cebert and Grable were pickd in the 2025 draft by New York, with Cebert getting selected in Round 15, while Grable was taken in Round 11.
Those rounds don’t scream “future standout prospect,” but both players were able to shine this season. When looking at Cebert, the righty is coming up the ranks as a starter. He had a 0.98 ERA across three outings (two starts) with High-A this year before he was promoted to Double-A. There, he has struggled a bit with an ERA of 4.90 across 13 appearances (12 starts). But he has struck out 79 batters through 64 1/3 innings pitched, with just 23 walks issued, as well.
Once again, the underlying metrics are what should offer encouragement. Cebert has a 27.8% strikeout rate and a walk rate of 8.1%, both of which are in the 77th and 74th percentiles, respectively. He’s also generated a whiff rate of 28.0% with a chase rate of 30.2%, so he’s bringing some more swing-and-miss to this organization, which has been lacking.
Grable, on the other hand, is coming up as a reliever. And the 6-foot-4 fireballer has been impressive throughout his short professional career with a 2.45 ERA and 56 strikeouts to 10 walks across 36 2/3 innings during 32 combined appearances at the High-A and Double-A levels.
His underlying metrics stand out just like Cruz and Cebert’s. Grable has a 33.1% K rate with a 7.6% walk rate in Double-A. He has induced whiffs 32.8% of the time, and he has gotten batters to chase 32.9% of the time. At at the age of 24, it might not take him very long to climb up Washington’s pipeline, as he could be starring in the majors for them as soon as 2027.
For a pipeline that was in desperate need of more big-time arms, it appears like the Nationals just added two minor leaguers who could become impact pitchers for them in the near future.
Nationals Land Controllable Reliever With Jake Bird
The most underwhelming part of this trade was Bird, who has a career 4.90 ERA across 227 MLB outings and is trending down at the age of 30 years old.
However, Washington accomplished their goal of adding a controllable major league reliever, as Bird isn’t scheduled to hit free agency until after the 2028 season. That at least gives this coaching staff time to work with the right-hander to see if they can unlock his best stuff once again, as it was only a few years ago where he finished the 2023 season with a 4.33 ERA and an ERA+ of 115 across 70 appearances for the Colorado Rockies.
The good news is that there are some tools to work with. Despite the struggles of Bird this season — an ERA of 5.93 across 36 outings — he still has a Stuff+ figure of 111. So if the Nationals can get him back on track, he has all the makings of becoming an effective bullpen arm.
Sold High on Luis Garcia Jr.
Some people still might be reading this and thinking to themselves that Washington should have gotten more in a trade that featured Garcia based on what he has done this season. But it needs to be remembered that the past track record of Garcia also matters, too.
Before his breakout this year, he finished 2025 with a wRC+ of 91. That was a dip from what he did the season prior, when his wRC+ was 110. But before that, in 2023, his wRC+ was 84, which was a drop off from his 2022 campaign, when he had a wRC+ of 95.
Teams don’t just look at one year when figuring out whether or not they should trade for someone. Yes, Garcia has been remarkable this season as one of the best hitters in the majors. But that hasn’t always been the case. Of course, it has to also be pointed out that Garcia is now in his prime at 25 years old, which could be the reason for this breakout. However, there were likely plenty of executives out there who weren’t sold on this being the norm for Garcia going forward, especially after he’s had previous peaks and valleys in his profile.
Did the Nationals get the best possible return for Garcia? I’m not sure about that. But I do know that Washington sold high on a player whose performance might dip. And that allowed them to bring in four pitchers who have high-end stuff and could be impact arms for them in the future.
That, to me, is a huge win for Paul Toboni and his front office.
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