Nationals take advantage of Yankees' strong roster with trade for former top infield prospect

The Washington Nationals are shaking up their roster entering the 2026 MLB season, and while the team won't be a World Series or postseason contender, there are some players worth keeping an eye on.

James Wood and CJ Abrams are the obvious stars, but there are plenty of others who are trying to make a name for themselves in the Majors who could be fun watches this season.

And recently, according to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, the Nationals are acquiring such a player in a deal with the New York Yankees. They're taking advantage of the Yankees' stacked roster, trading for a former top infield prospect in a savvy move.

Nationals trade with Yankees for former top INF prospect

"The Nationals are acquiring INF Jorbit Vivas from the Yankees for RHP Sean Paul Linan, per source," Feinsand reports.

Linan is the Nationals 27th ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline, and while there is some intrigue for the 21-year-old righty highly ranked prospect, acquiring Vivas is worth parting with Linan.

Vivas is 25 years old and is coming off a 29-game debut in the Majors for the Yankees last year. He hit .161 with a .516 OPS last season in limited work, but with the Nationals in 2026, he will look to turn things around in the Majors.

In his minor league career, Vivas has a .271 batting average and .782 OPS in 675 games  (.270 with a .753 OPS in 2025 in 100 games). He hasn't been the best prospect, but there's some upside with his game going forward.

More: Braves predicted to trade Bryce Elder for Lars Nootbaar

While the Yankees might not have wanted to give up on Vivas just yet, he didn't have any more options left, so the Yankees would have had to release him or find a roster spot for him this spring.

And with a stacked roster and no MLB spots open for Vivas, the only viable option for the Yankees to make the most out of Vivas was to trade him to a new team.

In stepped the Nationals, which get to take a chance on a former top prospect of the Yankees for fairly cheap.

This is a savvy move for the Nationals, as they're taking a flier on a former top prospect who was readily available in a trade thanks to the Yankees' strong roster.

More MLB news:

• Blue Jays sign Joe Mantiply to minor league contract
• Dodgers’ Roki Sasaki will return to rotation, not bullpen according Dave Roberts
• Alex Cora announces Caleb Durbin is Red Sox starting third baseman
• Joey Wentz is out for the season with a torn ACL for the Braves
• Reds’ Hunter Greene to be out until July amid brutal injury news
• Jesus Luzardo’s $135 million extension is a steal for Phillies