Grown-up García bids farewell after decade in Nationals organization
The Nats officially traded Luis García Jr. to the Yankees on Sunday for four pitchers, ending a long relationship with a popular player and teammate
ATLANTA – Luis García Jr. debuted for the Nationals on Aug. 14, 2020, in a pandemic-era game at Camden Yards with zero fans in attendance. He was 20 years old, and he was sharing a lineup with Juan Soto, Trea Turner, Adam Eaton, Howie Kendrick, Yan Gomes and Asdrubal Cabrera. Stephen Strasburg was on the mound to start that game. He later played with Max Scherzer and Ryan Zimmerman.
Sunday was García’s final day as a National, and as the now 26-year-old stood at his locker and pondered the passage of time, he acknowledged just how far he had come.
“All those guys taught me and shaped me to be the player and person that I am today,” he said, via interpreter Mauricio Ortiz. “Coming into this year, I was seen as a leader of this clubhouse. So, for me, passing that along to everyone here, all my teammates, the young ones, that was really important for me.”
García had, remarkably, become the old man in the clubhouse. True, there are a few players older than him by age. But nobody came close to matching his tenure with the franchise, which recently exceeded 10 years.
