The Washington Nationals have DFA'ed one pitcher and acquired a pitcher in a trade with the New York Yankees on Sunday
Midway through game one of two against the Baltimore Orioles to close out spring training, the Washington Nationals have pulled the trigger on a trade connected to one pitcher previously in the mix for a bullpen role.
The Nationals have acquired infielder Orbit Vivas from the New York Yankees in exchange for right handed pitcher Sean Paul Linan, the 27th-best prospect in Washington's farm system, per MLB.com. With the move, the Nationals also designated relief pitcher Griff McGarry for assignment.
Vivas arrives in the Nationals organization one year removed from making his MLB debut, but it proved to be a struggling 2025 season after hitting .161/.266/.250 in 66 at bats while spending time at both second and third base in a bench role. He now arrives in Washington with a chance to add to the depth at second base with Luis Garcia Jr. a remaining candidate to take over at first base in 2026.
Linan, 21, leaves the organization after an inconsistent 2025 season. He first arrived with the Nationals after being traded from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for outfielder Alex Call. Linan then posted 106 strikeouts over 77 innings across four levels during the season, though finished with a 9.82 ERA in Triple A.
As for McGarry, the 26 year old initially arrived in DC after the Nationals selected him with the third overall pick in the Rule 5 Draft back on Dec. 10 after the Philadelphia Phillies elected to not add him to the 40-man roster. McGarry was among the 11 relievers still in the mix for the eight spots in the Nationals finalized bullpen in 2026 with the news coming one day after the team elected to unconditionally release veteran pitcher Drew Smith.
In six appearances and 5.2 innings pitched in spring, McGarry allowed just four hits and two earned runs while tossing six strikeouts. He combined for three strikeouts and three walks to just one hit allowed in three appearances between March 5 and 12, but the latest decision now trims the roster closer towards a finalized 2026 roster with just five days until Opening Day against the Chicago Cubs.
After meeting at Camden Yards on Sunday, the Nationals are set to close out spring training on Monday against the Baltimore Orioles at Nationals Park on Monday with opening pitch set for 1:05 PM. The Nationals currently sit 14-9-3 in spring training with its pitching staff ranked among the best in baseball thus far.