What a difference a year makes.
At the start of the 2025 campaign, Jasson Dominguez was still the golden boy in the New York Yankees organization — the switch-hitting outfielder who signed for over $5 million at 16, dubbed “The Martian,” with 30/30 upside and an assumed spot in the Bronx for the long haul.
But now? The chatter has shifted. From “untouchable” to “maybe tradable,” Dominguez finds himself at the center of a debate about development, defense, and what the Yankees believe he truly is.
The narrative arc is stark. One year ago, New York insiders publicly described Dominguez as untouchable — a cornerstone for their future. Fast-forward to today and he’s listed among possible trade packages, his defensive limitations and crowded outfield mix prompting questions about his fit in a win-now mindset. In fact, reports indicate that the Yankees were willing to include Dominguez in a package for reliever Jhoan Duran at this year’s deadline.
It’s a sharp change in direction for a player whose ascent was swift and compelling.
Jasson Dominguez Has Gone From Franchise Cornerstone to Possible Trade Chip
As a teenager, Dominguez lit up the minors, fueling imaginations. Then he debuted with the Yankees in 2023, making headlines with his first MLB at-bat homer and flashy tools. But injuries intervened — including Tommy John surgery — and his development, especially in the field, has become a concern.
Now the issue isn’t just his ceiling; it’s the path. The Yankees are intent on competing. The roster already bristles with high-stakes expectations. In that environment, a player with premium offensive tools but defensive ambiguity sits less comfortably.
According to Empire Sports Media, Dominguez is “not a viable candidate to move to center-field while Spencer Jones projects to be an above-average defender at the position.” That reality shifts how an organization measures a prospect’s value — not just bat and speed, but readiness, board-fit and opportunity.
The question now: are the Yankees willing to trade Dominguez? The answer appears to tilt toward yes — though only under the right circumstances.
He showed up in trade-candidate lists this year, which suggests internal views may be softening. As Anthony McCarron of SNY summed it up: “There’s probably no way Dominguez goes anywhere, unless the Yankees include him in a blockbuster trade.”
In other words: yes, he may remain part of the core — but if the price is high enough and the return immediate, the Yankees might be ready to redirect that asset.
Offseason Direction Could Determine Jasson Dominguez’s Future With New York
If New York holds onto Dominguez, the reward is clear — sharpen the tools, erase the defensive questions, and you’ve secured a top-notch outfield bat for years. But the cost of keeping him is latent: roster flexibility, playing time for other pieces, and the opportunity cost of not addressing immediate holes elsewhere.
If the Yankees trade him, the price must reflect not just his ceiling but the risk. They’d be surrendering public goodwill, long-term promise and the branding of “we build from within” for an immediate return. That’s a quick pivot in a short time.
Dominguez is no longer simply the untouchable prospect the Yankees once declared. He remains high-ceiling, intriguing, and capable of greatness — but he now carries question marks, and his value is being reevaluated. For a franchise caught between competing now and building for later, his fate may signal more about the Yankees’ philosophy than it does about one player.
This winter, how they treat him will speak volumes: keep and commit, or trade and deliver. Either path defines who they believe themselves to be.
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