This New York Yankees slugger is increasing his trade value at the right time.
The New York Yankees will almost certainly not be keeping both Jasson Dominguez and Spencer Jones long term. Short of a position change, there is not enough room for both players on the roster.
The Yankees surely know this, and it definitely complicates things moving forward. But there is also a very clear solution: a trade.
Once upon a time, Dominguez and Jones were two of the top prospects in all of baseball, but that since has changed. Dominguez has been a disappointment on the big-league level thus far, and Jones has not progressed like New York had hoped.
It's pretty obvious that Dominguez is a terrible defensive player, and Jones — who has yet to make his major-league debut — can't seem to conquer his strikeout woes.
But while the trade value of the young outfield pair may no longer be as robust as it once was, don't get it twisted: both players still have value.
It will simply come down to who the Yankees feel is a better long-term fit for their current setup, and it seems fairly evident that Jones is the superior piece.
Why? Because Jones is a center fielder, and Trent Grisham is only on a one-year qualifying offer. Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger aren't going anywhere at the corners, which effectively rules out a starting job for Dominguez.
New York Yankees outfielder Jasson Dominguez. Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images.The good news? Dominguez is tearing the cover off the ball in Spring Training and thus boosting his trade value before the start of the regular season.
On Tuesday afternoon, for example, Dominguez went 2-for-3 with a home run (from the right side of the plate, mind you) and a stolen base during a 4-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.
It was Dominguez's second homer of the spring, and he now owns a .944 OPS through 10 exhibition games.
Obviously, it's a very small sample size, but there is no doubt that this will help Dominguez's confidence heading into the 2026 campaign.
It is also surely catching the attention of other teams in need of bats.
Dominguez slashed a pedestrian .257/.331/.388 with 10 long balls and 47 RBI over 429 plate appearances last season, but he is still just 23 years old, and his name still carries some weight.
There are just a couple of weeks left in Spring Training, so it will be important for Dominguez to maintain his production before likely being optioned to Triple-A. Not just for his future in the Bronx, but to give the Yankees a selling point in trade discussions.
Don't be surprised if Dominguez ends up getting dealt sometime before the midseason deadline and if Jones is on the major-league roster within a couple of months.
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