The New York Yankees will be looking to upgrade their roster come the trade deadline, specifically at third base and starting pitching. But which top prospects will they be dealing as they look for their first World Series championship since 2009?
Yankees’ third basemen rank 17th in baseball in OPS (.674), 24th in batting average (.221), and tied for 13th in home runs (10). The Yankees’ rotation is without Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil and could use another top arm to pair with Max Fried and Carlos Rodon come October.
The Yankees have also hit a wall, losing three consecutive games to the Blue Jays and currently sharing first place with Toronto.
As the front office looks to finalize their trade deadline plans, executives around the league tell The Athletic’s MLB insider Jim Bowden, former general manager of the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals, that they believe the Yankees will part with outfield prospect Spencer Jones. But Bowden isn’t so convinced.
“I’m not sure I believe that the Yankees will trade Jones, who has slashed .283/.396/.628 this season with 19 home runs, 35 RBIs and 11 stolen bases between Double A and Triple A,” notes Bowden. “However, if the 24-year-old is dealt, expect it to be a huge deal for a top starter or an impact second or third baseman. That said, I don’t think he’ll be traded.”
MLB.com has Jones ranked as the Yankees’ second-best prospect behind George Lombard Jr. Jones has previously been on top-100 prospect lists for MLB, Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus, but didn’t crack them for 2025.
The Yankees took Jones with the 25th overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. He is aging for a prospect in the minor leagues, and is currently blocked on the Yankees’ roster by Aaron Judge, Jasson Dominguez, Trent Grisham and Cody Bellinger. Landing on a new team could finally let him make his MLB debut.
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