Joel Sherman floats trading Yankees' Luis Garcia Jr. to Mets to fill New York's first-base gap

Joel Sherman of the New York Post this week floated a blockbuster-in-suggestion that the New York Yankees could trade first baseman Luis Garcia Jr. to the New York Mets as a way to solve New York baseball’s first-base shortfall.

Sherman sketched the scenario on the Post’s Pinstripe Post series, arguing that a move of Garcia Jr., fresh off career highs in home runs (30) and RBIs (92) in 2026, could produce the sort of assets the Yankees want — either high-leverage bullpen arms or a true solution at third base.

Sherman framed the swap as contingent on internal roster shifts: he proposed that Ben Rice, who served primarily as the Yankees’ designated hitter last season, would need to shift to a full-time first-base role to make Garcia Jr. expendable. Sherman also pointed to roster construction choices that feed into the idea.

He noted that the Yankees retain Giancarlo Stanton on the roster and that Aaron Judge’s potential use more often at designated hitter could alter how the club configures its everyday infield. Those roster ripples, Sherman argued, could leave Garcia Jr. as the odd man out defensively if the Yankees elect to keep both Rice and Garcia on the right side of the infield.

The Post presentation emphasized trade flexibility: Sherman said the Yankees could trade Garcia Jr. to acquire bullpen help or a third baseman rather than simply to fill first base elsewhere.

From the Mets’ perspective Sherman’s scenario answers a roster need: the Post coverage says New York’s National League club had a documented gap at first base during the 2026 season and could be a natural landing spot for a bat like Garcia Jr.

Sherman framed the move as potentially beneficial to the Mets’ long-term construction but did not lay out a specific package or roster pieces New York would need to surrender.

Outside the Post, other outlets have noted interest in Garcia Jr. at various points; a headline on MLB Trade Rumors states the Diamondbacks pursued Luis Garcia Jr. at the trade deadline, and Yahoo ran reporting asking whether a player the Yankees acquired this season could be moved in the offseason.

Those items corroborate that Garcia Jr. has drawn trade attention beyond Sherman’s scenario, but they do not replicate Sherman’s specific Mets trade proposal or his lineup contingencies.

What is confirmed in the coverage is limited to speculation and personnel facts: Sherman floated the proposal, Garcia Jr. had a career-best statistical season in 2026, Ben Rice primarily DH’d last year and is the suggested internal option at first base, and the Mets had a need at first base.

Nothing in the sourced reporting establishes that formal trade discussions between the Yankees and Mets have taken place, nor does any source provide a concrete trade package, timetable, or comment from team executives about pursuing Garcia Jr.

If clubs act on the idea, the practical questions Sherman highlighted would drive negotiations: whether Ben Rice will accept or be assigned to full-time first base, how the Yankees value acquiring bullpen arms or a third baseman versus keeping Garcia Jr., and what the Mets would offer to solve their first-base need.