Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees' Top Prospect Named 'Most Likely' Offseason Trade Candidate

One of the New York Yankees' best young prospects could be on the move this offseason.

Grant Young

Mar 4, 2024; Jupiter, Florida, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Spencer jones (78) hits a single against the Miami Marlins during the fifth inning at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Mar 4, 2024; Jupiter, Florida, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Spencer jones (78) hits a single against the Miami Marlins during the fifth inning at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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Assuming the New York Yankees manage to re-sign superstar Juan Soto this offseason, they are going to have a logjam of top-tier talents in the outfield for the future.

In addition to having Soto (hopefully) in right field for the next decade-plus, Aaron Judge manning center field through at least the 2031 season, and No. 1 prospect Jasson Dominguez ideally blossoming into an everyday starter in left field by 2025, there's little room for another player to receive serious playing time.

This presents a problem for Spencer Jones, who's the Yankees' No. 2 prospect and is 23 years old, 6'6", hits left-handed, and primarily plays in the outfield.

Given how Jones is currently stuck behind New York's biggest superstars, it doesn't come as a surprise that Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer deemed him the Yankees' most likely trade candidate this offseason in an October 18 article.

"The Yankees reportedly had chances to involve Spencer Jones in trades for Corbin Burnes and Dylan Cease, but didn't take either one," Rymer wrote.

"That's an "oof" right there, but the Yankees seem to have learned their lesson. As Andy Martino of SNY said in August, 'there's been a slight' shift on the team's attitude toward trading the 23-year-old:

"Jones didn't raise his stock by whiffing in 37 percent of his plate appearances for Double-A Somerset this season," Rymer continued. "All the same, 6'6", 235-pound outfielders with obvious power are always good for a few looks when they're on the trading block."

Jones hit .259 with a .788 OPS and 17 home runs in 122 games in Double-A this season.

While these stats won't blow anybody away, Jones is still young and would surely be an intriguing trade piece for the Yankees to address more pressing positional needs this offseason.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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