Spring 2021 Magazine
Baseball

Matt Holliday excited to have former teammate joining the Yankees

By Jason Romano Jul 31, 2017
Matt Holliday with the Yankees in 2017 (Photo by Scott Clarke/ESPN Images)

On the road again.

The song made famous by Willie Nelson could be the motto of new Yankees pitcher Jaime Garcia.

On Sunday, Garcia was traded to the New York Yankees in exchange for 2 prospects.

Garcia, 31, will join his third team in 2017 after being traded from the Cardinals to the Braves in December and then being traded again from Atlanta to Minnesota just a few days prior to him again being dealt a third time this year — to the Yankees.

 

Garcia joins a Yankees team that is currently in first place in the American League East and has seen a mixture of youth and experience, really mesh well in giving their fans hope that they could make a run at the pennant.

Current Yankees DH Matt Holliday and Garcia played seven seasons together with the St. Louis Cardinals. Matt told Sports Spectrum that he’s eager to welcome his former Cardinals teammate to New York.

“I got a call this morning from Jaime,” said Holliday. “I knew immediately that him calling me on a Sunday morning at 9 meant he was coming to New York! Having a brother in Christ that I spent the last 8 years playing with is exciting!”

Garcia made his major league debut with the Cardinals in 2008 and recently shared openly in a video by THE INCREASE, about his struggle with identity in Christ.

Matt Holliday, along with Adam Wainwright, became mentors to Garcia in St. Louis and showed him how a believer in Christ lived.

“I would see not just what they did on the baseball field, but the way they lived their life and that was a turning point in my life.”

Now back to together again in New York, Holliday looks forward to continuing that friendship with Garcia as they look to make a run at another World Series.

“He’s been a tremendous friend and teammate and I’m thrilled that we will be reunited. We’ve experienced a lot together both on and off the field over the past 8 years and I’m grateful to be back together.”

Garcia and the Yankees begin a three game series at home against the Detroit Tigers tonight at Yankee Stadium.