Washington Nationals acquire four players from New York Yankees
The Washington Nationals acquired right-handed pitcher Ben Grable, right-handed pitcher Yovanny Cruz, right-handed pitcher Jack Cebert and right-handed pitcher Jake Bird from the New York Yankees in exchange for first baseman Luis García Jr. on Sunday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni made the announcement.
Grable, 24, has posted 13.75 strikeouts per 9.0 innings, a 5.60 strikeout-to-walk ratio, a 0.85 WHIP and a .162 opponents’ average in his first professional season. He went 3-1 with four saves and a 2.45 ERA, 56 strikeouts, 10 walks and just one home run allowed in 32 games between High-A Hudson Valley and Double-A Somerset. Grable was selected to participate in the 2026 All-Star Futures Game and recorded one out in the seventh inning with a fastball that touched 99 miles per hour.
In 16 outings dating back to June 2, Grable pitched to a 1.00 ERA (2 ER/18.0 IP) with 25 strikeouts, five walks and a .159 opponents’ average (10-for-63).
Grable was selected in the 11th round of the 2025 First-Year Player Draft out of Indiana University. He is the No. 19 prospect in the Yankees system, according to Baseball America, and the system’s No. 25 prospect per MLBPipline.com
Cruz, 26, posted a 1.69 ERA (1 ER/5.1 IP) and a .167 opponents’ average (3-for-18) in four games out of New York’s bullpen in his first Major League season in 2026. He struck out six batters and issued just one walk across three Major League stints this season.
New York’s No. 24 prospect according to Baseball America, Cruz struck out 52 batters in 35.2 innings with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He went 7-3 with four saves and a 3.53 ERA in 31 games. He was originally signed by the Chicago Cubs as an international free agent on Aug. 29, 2016. He signed a Minor League contract with the New York Yankees on Nov. 8, 2025.
Cebert, 24, is New York’s No. 11 prospect according to Baseball America and its No. 14 prospect, per MLBPipeline.com. He joins the Nationals organization after going 4-4 with a 4.03 ERA in 16 games (14 starts) between High A-Hudson Valley and Double-A Somerset in his second professional season. He’s recorded 96 strikeouts in 82.2 innings pitched (10.45 SO/9.0 IP) in the 16 games.
Cebert has pitched to a 2.05 ERA (6 ER/26.1 IP) with 30 strikeouts and a .186 opponents’ average (18-for-97) in his last five starts since June 25.
A native of Clearwater, Fla., Cebert was selected in the 15th round of the 2025 First-Year Player Draft out of Texas Tech University.
Bird, 30, has appeared in 227 Major League games across five big league seasons with the New York Yankees (2025-26) and Colorado Rockies (2022-25). He’s struck out 10.19 batters per 9.0 innings while recording 18 holds over the last two seasons. For his career, Bird has posted 8.46 strikeouts per 9.0 innings, 0.99 home runs per 9.0 innings and a 3.80 strikeout-to-walk ratio. In 36 games across four stints out of New York’s bullpen in 2026, he went 1-1 with eight holds and a 5.93 ERA.
Selected in the fifth round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of UCLA, Bird was acquired by the Yankees at the 2025 Trade Deadline.