The New York Yankees acquired utility man Amed Rosario from the Washington Nationals in exchange for two minor leaguers, it was announced Saturday night, giving the club a versatile right-handed hitter it had coveted before Thursday’s trade deadline.
A former top prospect with the New York Mets, Rosario is batting .270 with five home runs and a .736 OPS this season. But he’s hitting .299 with an .816 OPS against left-handed pitchers this season and the Yankees are expected to use him primarily against lefties.
Defensively, he gives manager Aaron Boone a multipurpose player. Rosario has started 20 games at third base and 13 at second base this season and has also made starts at each outfield position and at shortstop during his nine-year career.
The move comes a day after the Yankees completed a trade with the Colorado Rockies for veteran third baseman Ryan McMahon. Unlike McMahon, who is under contract for the next two seasons for $32 million, Rosario will become a free agent after this season. The Yankees will pay Rosario the balance of the one-year, $2 million deal he signed with Washington in January.
The Yankees nearly signed Rosario before last season, but he chose to sign a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Tampa Bay Rays instead. He was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in late July and finished the season with the Cincinnati Reds after being claimed off waivers. This is the third straight year Rosario has been moved close to the trade deadline. The Yankees will be his sixth team since the end of the 2023 season.
Rosario cost the Yankees right-hander Clayton Beeter, a 26-year-old right-hander in Triple-A who has made five major league relief appearances, and Browm Martinez, an 18-year-old outfielder in the Dominican Summer League.
The Yankees acquired Beeter, a second-round pick in 2020, from the Dodgers for Joey Gallo in 2022. He made his major league debut last season and gave up six runs in 3⅔ innings across two relief appearances this season.
Martinez is batting .404 with a 1.139 OPS in 18 games this season, his second in the Dominican Summer League. He signed with the Yankees for $130,000 last year.