Top prospect may change Yankees' trade-deadline plans

New York Yankees outfield prospect Spencer Jones has been white hot over the past few weeks.

A three-homer barrage on Thursday gave Jones 29 homers on the season. He has a .400/.457/.950 batting line with 13 homers in 80 plate appearances in Triple-A. Jones is rapidly making himself indispensable as the Yankees look to the future.

This recent hot streak could have a domino effect for the Yankees going forward. Jones has been a hot name in trade rumors as the Yankees look toward the postseason. However, as Jacob Mountz noted, outfielders Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham could enter free agency in the offseason.

Instead, the Yankees may want to consider trading another young outfielder. Former top prospect Jasson Dominguez has not lived up to expectations during his first full season in New York, posting a .253/.328/.406 batting line in 326 plate appearances entering Friday, with nine homers and 15 doubles while stealing 14 bases.

While that performance is respectable for the 22-year-old Dominguez, the Yankees need more production from the lineup. Outfielder Aaron Judge still carries the lineup on his own far too often for a team with postseason aspirations. If Jones can continue his barrage, he could force his way to New York as another potentially potent bat behind Judge in the lineup.

Meanwhile, Dominguez could be a solid trade chip for the Yankees. Although the Yankees acquired third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Rockies on Friday, holes remain in the lineup, back of the rotation and in the bullpen. Dominguez may be able to bring in a player the Yankees need in their quest to win the 2025 World Series.