At about 5:20 p.m. EST on Sunday, August 2, it was reported that the Nationals would be moving their second big infielder bat of the 2026 trade deadline.

26-year-old first baseman Luis García Jr. was announced to be traded to the New York Yankees for four pitchers. 

The Nationals received 26-year-old right-handed reliever Yovanny Cruz, 30-year-old right-handed reliever Jake Bird, 24-year-old right-handed pitching prospect Ben Grable and 24-year-old right-handed pitching prospect Jack Cebert. 

Cebert is viewed as the prized addition of the trade for the Nationals as the Yankees’ No. 14 prospect.

He was the Yankees’ 15th-round pick of the 2024 MLB draft out of Texas Tech. His velocity improved in his first year in the Minor Leagues, with his fastball transitioning from a two-seam to a four-seam. 

He averages about 95 miles per hour and peaks at 98 with his fastball. He also has a slider and a cutter that round out his repertoire.

Cebert started at High-A in 2025 and 2026 and allowed just four earned runs in 26.2 innings pitched.

He is now at the Double-A level with a 4.90 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP in 12 starts and 13 appearances. He has struggled to limit harder contact, allowing 11 home runs and a 0.87 ground-out-to-air-out percentage. 

The 24-year-old starting pitcher still has significant future value and is projected to have a 2027 ETA. 

Cruz is a strong-armed reliever who’s got a dangerous fastball and slider combination. He has spent 2026 bouncing around Triple-A and the Major Leagues. He made his Major League debut on May 20.

In his four games in the MLB, he recorded a 1.69 ERA and a 0.75 WHIP. In Triple-A, he has a 7-3 record and a 3.53 ERA in 31 appearances. 

In both the Major and minor leagues in 2026, he has shown a high strikeout percentage and a low walk percentage. He throws his fastball at an average of 100 miles per hour and has limited any hard-hit balls throughout his 2026 campaign.

He joins the Nationals prospect rankings at No. 30, but he is a serious relief prospect that will be going straight to the Nationals bullpen.

Bird is another right-handed reliever, but he has a lot of experience in the Major Leagues.  2026 is Bird’s fifth season in the MLB. He played his first three and a half seasons with the Colorado Rockies before being traded to the New York Yankees at the 2025 trade deadline.

Bird has struggled in 2026 with a 5.93 ERA and 1.55 WHIP in his 36 appearances. He is averaging less than an inning pitched per outing. He has been below average in almost every single advanced metric available, including a 22.5% chase rate and a 9.8% barrel rate. 

The 30-year-old is yet to have a season where he finished with an ERA lower than 4.30. He has been optioned to the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings upon the trade.

Grable was the Yankees' 11th-round pick in the 2025 MLB draft out of Indiana. The 24-year-old has spent his 2026 season in the Yankees High-A and Double-A rosters where he has served. 

He posted a 1.17 ERA in six games of High-A and now has a 2.79 ERA in 26 games of Double-A, with a 0.85 WHIP throughout the two stints. 

He lives off his fastball, which peaks at 99 miles per hour with a ton of vertical break. He still needs to work to develop his slider.

Grable will likely report to the Nationals' Double-A affiliate, the Harrisburg Senators, and now comes in as the Nationals' 26th top prospect.