Not even three weeks have passed since the Yankees and Nationals swapped Luis García Jr. and Yovanny Cruz, but the first few turns of the deal have already made it look a little strange.
García’s hot start in New York is a distant memory now. He opened his Yankees run with a go-ahead homer on August 3, but since then the bat has gone quiet. Through 13 games in pinstripes, the 26-year-old is hitting just .216/.255/.333 with one home run and three RBI.
That’s a steep drop from what he brought over from Washington. Before the trade, García was sitting on a .283/.313/.560 line in 104 games, with 23 home runs and 76 RBI.
He had also led the National League in slugging. The Yankees were never asking him to be Aaron Judge, but with Judge still out, they need more than this from García - and from several other players who haven’t done enough either.
The Nationals, meanwhile, have already made a quick move on their end of the deal. Cruz, one of the four players New York sent to Washington in the trade - along with Jake Bird, Ben Grable, and Jack Cebert - has already been optioned.
Washington promoted lefty Erik Tolman and sent Yovanny Cruz to Triple-A Rochester.
Tolman’s road has been a long one. He’s a 14th-round pick who made it back from two elbow surgeries and a freak foot/leg injury, and the report on him is that he has nasty stuff. Up next is his MLB debut.
Cruz had given the Yankees enough to make the Nationals interested. In four big-league appearances for New York, covering 5.1 innings, he posted a 1.69 ERA. The right-hander brings an upper-90s fastball and a slider that can be a real problem when he’s locating it, which is exactly the kind of arm a team looking for bullpen help at the deadline could dream on.
But that version of Cruz hasn’t shown up for Washington. In six outings with the Nationals, he’s been tagged for an 11.25 ERA and a .474 opponents’ batting average across 4.0 innings. He’s also blown two saves in two chances.
So while Cruz has been much worse than García since the trade, neither side has gotten much immediate payoff. Both players are still young, and there’s still room for the teams to feel decent about the long-term value of the swap. García is under control through next season and may settle in more comfortably in 2027 after more time in the organization.
Still, 18 days in, this one has not gone smoothly for either club. The early returns have been rough all around.
In Other News...
Jasson Dominguez Is Giving The Yankees A Tougher Outfield Decision
After the trade deadline, the Yankees sent Jasson Domnguez down to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to create room for Heliot Ramos, a move that reflected just how unsettled the outfield picture had become. Domnguez had been expected to keep pressing his case for a larger role, but his major league performance this season has not given the club much reason to force the issue, and the organization now appears to be looking more seriously at other outfield options for the future.
Domnguez has not exactly made the decision easier in the minors, either. Over 10 games with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, his offense has stayed quiet, leaving the Yankees with a player whose long-term upside is still part of the conversation but whose immediate path back to the lineup feels less certain than it did not long ago. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Sweep Bid Comes With A New Third Base Concern
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The infield alignment, though, is getting a little shakier at third base. Jose Caballero is slated to start there because Ryan McMahon is dealing with a thumb injury, adding another layer to a spot the Yankees would prefer to keep settled. Cody Bellingers rehab assignment in the minors offers a bit of encouraging injury news after his strained left hamstring, but for now the immediate concern is how New York patches together the left side of the infield while trying to finish off Baltimore. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Just Made A Telling Bet On Their Next Wave
The Yankees are already looking years down the road in the international market, and their latest reported move underscores how aggressively they want to stay in that lane. The club has reportedly lined up a verbal agreement with a teenage Dominican outfielder who is drawing attention for his speed, power and production at the plate, a sign the organization is willing to commit meaningful resources now for a player it cannot officially sign yet.
What makes the bet especially notable is the size of the commitment, which would take up a significant portion of the teams recent international signing pool. For a Yankees front office balancing the present with the future, it is another reminder that the next wave of talent may not arrive through the usual routes alone, especially with possible changes to MLBs international signing rules looming later on. [Read more 🡒]