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MINNEAPOLIS – The first of several likely dominoes to fall before Thursday’s trade deadline came down late tonight when the Nationals dealt infielder Amed Rosario to the Yankees for 26-year-old right-hander Clayton Beeter and 18-year-old outfielder Browm Martinez.
The trade, which was officially announced shortly after the Nats’ 9-3 victory over the Twins, sends Rosario to a perennial contender for the stretch run in exchange for two younger players. It’s the first trade completed by interim general manager Mike DeBartolo.
“When I heard where I was going, I kind of didn’t believe it,” Rosario, who spent the first four years of his career in New York playing for the Mets, said via interpreter Mauricio Ortiz. “I don’t know what happened in that moment. … At some point, I kind of knew I was going to get traded. But I didn’t know it was going to be today.”
Beeter, rated as the Yankees’ 20th best prospect by MLB Pipeline, has five games of big league experience over the last two seasons but was immediately optioned to Triple-A Rochester after the trade was announced. A second round pick of the Dodgers in 2020 who was sent to New York two years later for Joey Gallo, Beeter has been a starter through most of his minor league career but was pitching out of the bullpen this season. Over 323 2/3 total minor league innings, he has a 3.64 ERA, 1.319 WHIP and 13 strikeouts per nine innings. The red flag: He has walked 5.1 batters per nine innings.
Martinez only signed his first professional contract last year and has played in the Dominican Summer League since. The right-handed-hitting outfielder has played 56 total games over parts of two seasons, batting .320 with a .426 on-base percentage, three homers, 35 RBIs and 34 stolen bases.
Rosario was signed by former GM Mike Rizzo over the winter for $2 million and provided the Nationals exactly what they hoped to get from the 29-year-old: He batted .270 with five homers, 18 RBIs and a .707 OPS in 46 games, but he was especially productive against left-handers (.299 batting average, .816 OPS).
“The Yankees are going to get a guy that can hit lefties for sure,” interim manager Miguel Cairo said. “And the way he handled himself, the way he goes about his business, is a pro. We’re going to miss him. It’s a great opportunity for him to go help a team in the playoffs. They’re getting a really good hitter.”
Popular with teammates, Rosario was a positive influence on the club’s younger players, a mentor in particular to second baseman Luis García Jr.
“It’s really sad, but at the same time I’m really happy for him,” García Jr. said, via Ortiz. “I know he’s going to do great. And we’re going to New York later in the season, and I’m going to get to see him there.”
Rosario is the first of several veterans who are expected to be dealt before the July 31 deadline. Other players due to become free agents at season’s end include designated hitter Josh Bell, infielder Paul DeJong, right-hander Michael Soroka and relievers Kyle Finnegan, Andrew Chafin and Luis Garcia. Less clear is DeBartolo’s interest in trading players who remain under club control for 2026 (Nathaniel Lowe) or perhaps even beyond (MacKenzie Gore).
