Insider Refutes Claim About Yankees' Farm System Following Deadline

MLB insider Jon Heyman of The New York Post refuted this claim about the Yankees' farm system.

Feb 25, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Spencer Jones (78) singles during the fourth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports / Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees had a pretty strong trade deadline this year, but they were aiming higher.

Names such as Yandy Diaz (never got close), Pete Fairbanks and Tanner Scott were all big targets that the team was in on, per MLB insider Jon Heyman of The New York Post, however they were unable to land any of them.

While there have been some claims regarding the Yankees having a weak farm system and not being able to match up with teams in a substantial trade, Heyman debunked this rumor after the smoke cleared from the July 30 deadline.

"Some claim the Yankees were handicapped by a weak farm system, but all these young players were popular in trade talks: Jasson Dominguez, Ben Rice, Austin Wells, Chase Hampton, George Lombard Jr. and Spencer Jones (though Jones’ stock is down a tad due to his high whiff percentage)," Heyman wrote.

The insider also revealed a scary comparison that Jones has been receiving.

"One scary comp heard regarding Jones: Joey Gallo. The belief is Jones is better equipped to deal with New York," he wrote. "But they do share many traits: great speed/base runner, can play center field, elite power."

As Heyman went on to report, the Yankees did not want to trade Dominguez or Wells, as both sluggers are being counted on to help the big-league team down the stretch of the season.

Wells has had to step up as the starting catcher after Jose Trevino went down with a left quad strain and was placed on the 10-day IL on July 13.

As for Dominguez, he was just activated off the IL at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on July 26. Due to the fact that the promising 21-year-old has missed so much time this year, coming off Tommy John surgery, he likely needs to build up at-bats before he is deemed an option at the major league level.

The Yankees maybe could have landed some larger pieces at the deadline, but they still came away with impact slugger Jazz Chisholm Jr. and swing-and-miss reliever Mark Leiter Jr. as their two main acquisitions.