New York Yankees Joel Sherman Crucial Ben Rice improvement can open door for Yankees to trade Luis Garcia Jr. By Joel Sherman Published Oct. 13, 2026, 2:26 p.m. ET Yankees first baseman Ben Rice flips the ball to first base during practice at Steinbrenner Field, the Yankees Spring Training home in Tampa, Florida, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg/NY Post In Part 2 of our continuing series breaking down how the Yankees should navigate the offseason position by position, we stop at first base with two pertinent questions:
1. Can Ben Rice be more than Kyle Schwarber (hint, it has nothing to do with hitting)?
2. Is Luis García Jr. more valuable in the middle of the Yankees batting order or as trade bait?
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In spring training, I wrote a column asking if Rice could follow Schwarber’s career arc. Basically, someone who wanted to catch, but was better off concentrating on hitting to maximize the patience/power parlay.
