The New York Yankees’ outfield logjam is both a luxury and a dilemma.
On most teams, 24-year-old top prospect Spencer Jones would be in line for a lot of playing time as a rookie this year. He’s coming off a breakout season where he hit 35 home runs in just 116 games at the upper levels of the minors, but remained streaky and struck out over 35% of the time.
On the Yankees, that lack of refinement means Jones likely isn’t ready to play in an outfield that already includes Aaron Judge, Trent Grisham, and Jasson Domínguez, and might soon include Cody Bellinger for a second straight year. So as he approaches the majors and his mid-20s, it’s reasonable to wonder whether Jones’ name might be volleyed around in trade talks.
What is the likelihood, though, that the Yankees act on the impulse to trade Jones relatively soon?
On Wednesday, insider Brendan Kuty of The Athletic predicted that New York would hold onto Jones until he at least got a chance to show potential improvements before thinking about pulling the trigger on a trade.
“Everything short of a starting job in the outfield on Opening Day appears on the table for the 24-year-old,” wrote Kuty. “The educated guess here is that the Yankees hold him into spring training to see what he’s got. (If Jones isn’t around, it’s because he’s been used as a piece of a major trade, and it’s too early to predict that.)
“Jones had a breakout 2025, crushing 35 home runs between Double A and Triple A. But the (35.4%) strikeout rate has to be terrifying. For reference, Ryan McMahon led the majors in strikeout rate at (32.3%). That’s not going to play in the major leagues. Jones is going to have to show he can decrease his strikeouts before the Yankees give him a regular chance.”
At this year’s trade deadline, a report from Jon Heyman of the New York Post asserted that the Yankees were only willing to trade Jones if it was in a package to acquire Pittsburgh Pirates ace and eventual Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes. One certainly can imagine that stance might soften with time, especially if Bellinger returns and Jones is left with a very narrow path to playing time.
A potential 40-homer center fielder is so tantalizing, though, that New York can be forgiven for waiting just a little to see if there’s any reason to open up a spot for him.
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