Diamondbacks Pursued Luis García Jr. At Trade Deadline

The Arizona Diamondbacks were reportedly the runners-up to acquire first baseman Luis García Jr. before the Washington Nationals traded him to the New York Yankees at the deadline. According to Joel Sherman of The New York Post, the Yankees could now potentially consider dealing García to Arizona for bullpen help, with reliever Juan Morillo mentioned as a speculative target. New York originally acquired García by sending Yovanny Cruz, Jake Bird, Jack Cebert, and Ben Grable to Washington.

Arizona continues to face offensive shortages at first base and designated hitter after missing the postseason, while owner Ken Kendrick has indicated team payroll is expected to decrease. Meanwhile, the Yankees hold a crowded first base and designated hitter mix that features Ben Rice, Giancarlo Stanton, and Aaron Judge. García hit 30 home runs in 2026 and is projected to earn roughly $11 million in arbitration for his final season of club control.