With first base production hitting league lows, the Arizona Diamondbacks could swap pitching prospects for Washington Nationals power-hitting infielder Luis Garcia Jr.
The Arizona Diamondbacks were recently left in the dust as Ketel Marte unfollowed the team on social media and deleted nearly every post related to the organization.
That's the closest sign anyone has that the team will be trading the veteran, but it still seems extremely unlikely that a team who's currently in a Wild Card spot would do so.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, The Athletic's Cody Stavenhagen believes that Arizona is going to cut a deal with the Washington Nationals at the trade deadline.
If the D-backs were to add at the trade deadline, first base is certainly a position of interest. Knowing that, Stavenhagen put together a prediction that sees Luis Garcia Jr. finishing out the 2026 season in Arizona.
Garcia Jr. would immediately make this offense better
Arizona has a chance to add a power hitting left-handed bat to their lineup at the deadline, so they need to make sure they don't let this opportunity go to waste. Garcia Jr. is just 26 years old, and he's still under another year of team control.
Even though the Nationals are two games above .500, this team seems destinated to work out a few deals in the coming week. Garcia Jr. remains on the table, at least for now, and the New York native is someone Stavenhagen believes would be a perfect fit for the D-backs.
"Arizona has the lowest OPS from first basemen of any team in the league," he wrote. "Washington might be wise to sell high, and García could fill a major need for the D-Backs in exchange for pitching prospects."
Is Garcia Jr. worth the high asking price?
As good as guys like Zac Gallen and Merril Kelly have been in the past, Arizona knows they're going to need to move on from the veterans sooner rather than later. There's nothing wrong with having those guys on the roster, but a postseason push certainly isn't going to go through Gallen with the way he's been struggling this season.
So that begs the question, how much are the Diamondbacks willing to give up? Adding Garcia Jr. gives them roughly a year and a half to make the most of this move, but at this point, the team is fighting to just stay in the Wild Card race.
Making it back to the World Series is always the goal, and Garcia Jr. could undoubtedly help get them there. That said, one bad trade at this year's deadline could set Arizona back years, so it may be worth not even exploring to begin with.
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