Mar 4, 2025; Clearwater, Florida, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Spencer Jones (78) celebrates after hitting a three-run home run against the Philadelphia Phillies in the third inning during spring training at BayCare Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Yankees Need Massive Offer to Trade This Prospect

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Delilah Bourque | Last updated Jul 28, 2025 12:00 PM ET

The New York Yankees have a fiery prospect on their hands, and its going to take a giant deal to get them to trade him away.

John Heyman of The New York Post speculated on X, the platform previously known as Twitter, that the Yankees would need a blockbuster trade to deal Spencer Jones, who has been lighting up the triple-A. He likened Jones' talent to that of ace Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes, who has the lowest ERA of any starter in the league (1.83). Though Jones isn't a pitcher, Heyman's message is clear: the Yankees won't be trading Jones unless it's for a generational talent.

Jones (1.407 OPS in AAA) also isn’t going anywhere. The only type of player they’d trade him for is Paul Skenes, who’s off the table, and that’s obviously a very limited category. https://t.co/pOKtyLk03F
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 26, 2025

Jones has hit 13 home runs in just 19 games with the AAA Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, including one three-homer game. He's slashing .400/ .457/ .950 in the triple-A, and .314/ .411/ .706 overall. Though the Yankees have been known to trade prospects for talent they can use now, Jones might just be too good to trade away.

Then again, there's the Aaron Judge situation. The Pinstripes slugger and captain injured his right arm in a recent game against the Toronto Blue Jays and is expected to spend a full 10 days on the injured list before returning first to designated hitter and, if everything goes well, the outfield. However, some fans are calling for Jones to make his major league debut early to cover for Judge's absence on a Yankees squad that is already struggling to return to their early-season dominance.

The issue with both scenarios — either trading Jones when his value is at an all-time high or keeping him to fill in for an injured Judge — is that the 24-year-old is unproven in the big leagues. While his stats are sure to get worse against major-caliber pitchers, no one can be quite sure exactly how much worse they'll be.

If the Yankees deal Jones and he goes on to have a successful career, it will be seen as a giant mistake to have sent him away. If they keep him and he can't perform to the level he's expected to, it will be seen as a giant mistake that the team didn't capitalize on his performance in the minors to make a trade.

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