Inside the WPBL’s first trade

On Aug. 21, 2026, in the middle of the league’s first season, Los Angeles and New York swapped three players. Here’s what the official posts and stat pages show — from an unofficial fan guide, sourced facts only.

The deal

The WPBL announced on X on Aug. 21, 2026: the Los Angeles Queens agreed to trade OF Suzu Narasaki and SS Emi Saiki to the New York Heights in exchange for OF Diana Ibarra (spelled “Dianna” in the post), in a “manager-initiated trade.” The same post says WPBL policy allows trades to be arranged by the league or requested by team managers for league approval. We found no earlier trade announced by the league. The Heights welcomed Narasaki and Saiki on Aug. 22.

Emi Saiki: an instant impact in New York

Saiki debuted for New York on Aug. 22 against her old team. The official recap says she drove in Keira Izumi with a single up the middle in an 8–7 extra-inning Heights win. Her official 2026 line, all with New York: 8-for-12 (.667), 5 RBI and 5 walks in 6 games, plus a 1–0 record and 4.45 ERA in 2 starts on the mound.

Suzu Narasaki: a pioneer on the move

Narasaki joined the first NPB women’s team, the Saitama Seibu Lions Ladies, in 2020 (official bio). Her official 2026 stats are all with Los Angeles: 1-for-4 with a double in 3 games (Aug. 12–15) and one pitching start. The official game log shows no New York appearances after the trade.

Diana Ibarra: heading west

Ibarra is the first Mexican woman to hit a home run in a women’s baseball premundial and has played for Mexico’s national team since 2019 (official bio). Her official 2026 stats are all with New York: 3-for-20 (.150) with 2 RBI in 8 games, Aug. 1–20. The official game log shows no Los Angeles appearances after the trade.

How it finished

Both teams ended the regular season 8–7. Los Angeles beat New York 2–1 in Semifinal B and then won the championship series 3–2 over San Francisco. See Los Angeles Queens · New York Heights · playoffs · every move: offseason roster tracker.