Yankees officially bury 2025's worst deadline trade with Luis Garcia Nationals package

The New York Yankees and Washington Nationals linked up for one of Washington's favorite varieties of trades on Sunday: a true challenge deal. The Nats have been desperate for bullpen help and aren't throwing in the towel just yet on contending this season. The Yankees need slug, no matter the position, desperately - their offense has become borderline league-worst since losing Aaron Judge. Therefore, the Yankees dealt budding pitching prospect Jack Cebert and two arms who can immediately provide bullpen help, Yovanny Cruz (off the MLB roster) and Ben Grable (straight from the Futures Game), in exchange for slugging first baseman/DH Luis Garcia Jr.

Oh, and they also undid a 2025 trade deadline move they seemed to regret almost instantly, dealing the eminently un-fixable Jake Bird and his hanging sweepers to DC.

It's hard to pick a "worst deal of 2025" between Camilo Doval and Bird, but seeing as the ex-Rockie was demoted multiple times and lit his Yankees debut on fire with a blowtorch last year before getting walked off in Texas and demoted ... it's probably Bird. Doval at least had his moments.

Moment? Singular? There had to be one. Either way, both were taken care of this weekend

The Nationals return, per source: RHP Ben Grable, RHP Yovanny Cruz, RHP Jack Cebert, RHP Jake Bird
— Spencer Nusbaum (@spencernusbaum_) August 2, 2026

Jake Bird's final appearance in Yankees organization showed how far he'd fallen

Cruz is an absolute flamethrower, but the Yankees made it clear by neglecting him that they didn't love him the way the fanbase did. His final outing with the big-league Bombers was Saturday night in Chicago after he replaced Doval; he allowed a single run.

Bird's final appearance in the organization, on the other hand, represented the final stage of a year-over-year plummet. He was yanked with two outs in the ninth inning of a 13-3 game at Triple-A. Yup.

Jake Bird was pitching in the ninth inning with two outs in a 13-3 game in Triple-A and was pulled

He had a lengthy conversation on the mound and was just traded to the Nationals for Luis Garcia Jr. pic.twitter.com/bQ328D2xJ8
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) August 2, 2026

Ultimately, Bird posted a 5.93 ERA in 36 games this season with the Yankees after allowing six earned runs in two innings last year. Yup. A deadline addition, who was healthy, pitched two innings in the uniform prior to the end of the campaign.

Grable and Cruz are both varying degrees of "ready," but Bird - the only major league veteran in the deal - remains just as much of a project as he was when the Yankees paid top dollar for him last year. Good luck, Nationals. He's your Pitching Lab specimen now.

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Jake Bird's final appearance in Yankees organization showed how far he'd fallen

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