From Thomas Harrigan:
The Yankees traded infielder Jorbit Vivas to the Nationals for right-hander Sean Paul Liñan on Sunday afternoon. Liñan was Washington’s No. 27 prospect per MLB Pipeline but checks in at No. 23 on New York’s list.
Vivas, 25, did not have a clear path to make the Yankees’ Opening Day roster. He’s out of options, so the Bronx Bombers wouldn’t have been able to stash him in the Minors without exposing him to outright waivers, hence the decision to trade him.
A native of Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, Vivas made his Major League debut last season and slashed .161/.266/.250 with one homer over 66 plate appearances for the Yankees, who acquired him from the Dodgers with lefty reliever Victor González for shortstop Trey Sweeney in 2023. The 25-year-old has hit .271 with 52 homers, 94 steals and a .782 OPS over seven Minor League seasons, splitting his time between second and third base.
Vivas could land a bench spot on the Nationals’ roster, backing up second baseman Nasim Nuñez and third baseman Brady House. José Tena had been the frontrunner for that role.
Liñan joined the Nats with pitcher Eriq Swan last summer in the trade that sent outfielder Alex Call to the Dodgers. Possessing one of the best changeups in the Minors, the 21-year-old Colombian righty struck out 106 batters over 77 1/3 innings across four levels in 2025.
Wow, Cashman actually got something for Vivas. That’s really quite impressive. Victor Gonzalez was the main piece of that trade (with Vivas and Trey Sweeney swapping being the price the Yankees paid for Gonzalez), and he ended up sucking, but luckily, while Trey Sweeney is ostensibly a Major Leaguer, he sucks just as much as Vivas.
To get a guy as good as Liñan is very impressive, especially since Washington would have been high on the waiver wire had the Yankees been forces to DFA Vivas, which was clearly coming had they not done this deal.
In a corresponding move, the Yankees selected Randall Grichuk for the roster. Interestingly, former Yankee, Austin Slater, who the Yankees has tried to sign before Grichuk, due to his additional benefit as a baserunner and defender, opted out of his Detroit Tigers deal, so while I assume they’re sticking with Grichuk (who they now owe $2.5 million), it’ll be interesting if the Yankees consider Slater again.
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