With Monday’s trade deadline looming, the New York Yankees made a pair of moves to bolster their roster.
On Saturday, the Yankees sent reliever Camilo Doval to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for prospects Omar Alfonzo and Luis Cruz. The following day, GM Brian Cashman worked out another deal, acquiring infielder Luis Garcia Jr. from the Washington Nationals in exchange for relievers Yovanny Cruz and Jake Bird, as well as prospects Ben Grable and Jack Cebert.
Camilo Doval
After receiving his first All-Star nod in 2023, Doval found himself in the minor leagues a year later. He rebounded in 2025, but after the San Francisco Giants fell out of playoff contention, the front office dealt him to the Yankees mere hours before the trade deadline in exchange for four minor league prospects.
Unfortunately, Doval never found his footing in the Bronx. In 66 total appearances, the 29-year-old posted a 4.65 ERA, well above his career average of 3.63. He also posted a combined WAR of -0.8.
On paper, Doval has one of baseball’s strongest pitch mixes. His fastball velocity of 98.6 mph ranks in the 96th percentile, and his secondary offerings all feature velocities well above the league average. However, despite how hard he throws, Doval has found little success on the mound this season. While he puts the ball on the ground at a 57.1 percent clip, his 49.6 percent hard-hit rate and 90.9 mph average exit velocity rank in the second and seventh percentiles, respectively.
Luis Garcia Jr.
The Nationals’ offense has turned heads this season, and Garcia Jr. is a big reason why. Through 104 games, the 26-year-old has posted career highs in home runs with 23 and RBI with 76. He also leads the National League in slugging percentage at .560, while ranking 11th in OPS at .873.
However, while those numbers are impressive, the Yankees acquired him for more than his power. This season, Garcia Jr. ranks in the 77th percentile in strikeout rate, a change of pace for a Yankees team that has struck out the fifth most times in baseball. He is also a .283 hitter, a mark that blows his new team’s .232 clip out of the water.
As a left-handed hitter, Garcia Jr. has dominated righties in 2026 to the tune of a .918 OPS. This means he’ll platoon with Paul Goldschmidt as the Yankees’ designated hitter, as Goldschmidt crushed lefties with a .987 OPS.
Prospect Overview
Alonzo and Cruz, the two prospects acquired for Doval, are both yet to make it past Double-A. The primer is a 23-year-old power-hitting catcher who has 44 home runs in his minor league career, posting a .385 slugging percentage in the process. The latter is an 18-year-old lanky, contact-first outfielder who is still in Rookie Ball. He has great plate discipline with 37 walks and 22 strikeouts in his career, while also stealing 14 bases in 58 career games.
Cruz, Bird, Grable, and Cebert, the four players sent to the Nation’s Capital, are all right-handed pitchers. Cruz and Bird have both made their major league debuts, with the latter now in his fifth professional season.
For a Nationals team in desperate need of starting pitching, this trade highlights their commitment to strengthening their rotation. Grable and Cebert are both displaying tremendous strikeout numbers in Double-A, so while they likely won’t join Cruz and Bird in the majors this season, they could as soon as 2027.
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