New York Yankees Might Have No Choice With Jasson Dominguez

There was a time when Jasson Dominguez was once viewed as a cornerstone piece for the New York Yankees. That wasn't even that long ago, but it feels like a different universe.

Dominguez began 2025 as a starting outfielder for the Yankees, and he certainly showed some early flashes at the plate. But his warts defensively were too significant to ignore, and his bat fell off a cliff during the second half.

That resulted in Dominguez being benched down the stretch, and he hasn't recovered since. He played in 57 games last season, slashing .225/.267/.368 while continuing his horrific outfield defense.

Dominguez's value torpedoed even more as a result, and it didn't help his case that Spencer Jones appeared to establish himself as a key cog for New York moving forward.

So, what now?

The prevailing thought was that Dominguez would be a trade candidate this offseason. There is no room for him in the outfield with Cody Bellinger, Jones and Aaron Judge as the starters, and to be quite frank, you wouldn't want him out there, anyway.

Dominguez also isn't a good enough hitter to DH, and that spot is currently occupied by Ben Rice, Giancarlo Stanton and Judge, anyway.

The verdict? A trade is most beneficial for all parties involved ... except we forgot the part where Dominguez might not have any value.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman spoke to reporters about Dominguez at the GM meetings, and he compared Dominguez now to where Jones was two years ago, calling him a "distressed asset" and that perhaps "one step backward helps" like it did Jones.

In other words, Dominguez isn't getting dealt because New York wouldn't get much of anything for him a potential deal.

Cashman added that Dominguez is playing winter ball and didn't seem to rule out the 23-year-old making the big-league club next season, but that was probably just Cashman trying to regain some leverage.

At this point, it appears that the Yankees might have to keep Dominguez and hope he builds up some more value in the minor leagues next season. Then, maybe they could move him at the MLB trade deadline or next winter.

You would think New York would be able to include Dominguez in a larger trade package where he isn't the centerpiece, but perhaps his value is so low that his inclusion wouldn't move the needle much. In that case, the Yanks would essentially be giving him away.

Maybe another team will come along and express some interest in a Dominguez trade this offseason, but as of right now, it looks like the Yankees may have no choice but to hold on to the former top prospect.