The New York Yankees are once again flirting with a disaster of their own making. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that rival executives believe the team is willing to trade prized outfield prospect Spencer Jones ahead of the deadline. In a vacuum, this sounds bold. In reality, it’s baseball malpractice.
Jones is a 6-foot-6 unicorn in cleats, hammering 29 home runs and logging a 1.117 OPS across Double-A and Triple-A in 2025. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre manager Shelley Duncan, a former big leaguer himself, said he’s never seen a player like him before. Yet the Yankees are reportedly ready to part ways with the 24-year-old because they’ve boxed themselves into a corner—again.
To clarify: perhaps this team should reconsider its approach at the deadline. It may be time to reflect on why a roster with a $295 million payroll is not meeting expectations.
The Numbers Don’t Lie: These Yakees Aren’t a Contender
On the surface, a 56–48 record looks decent. But look closer. Since June 13, the Yankees are 14–23. They’re 6.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East, and the cracks aren’t just showing—they’re structural.
Their offense ranks 1st in MLB in OPS (.788), but that’s almost entirely thanks to Aaron Judge, who leads the team (and arguably the league, before getting hurt) with a .342/.449/.711 slash line and 37 home runs. Outside of him? Things get bleak. Oswald Peraza is hitting .152 with a -0.2 WAR. DJ LeMahieu was slugging .336 before being released. It’s no wonder they traded for Ryan McMahon and Amed Rosario—they’re plugging holes with duct tape.
Pitching? Also, a mess. Yankees starters behind Max Fried and Carlos Rodón fall off a cliff. Marcus Stroman, who was supposed to be a reliable mid-rotation arm, has a 6.09 ERA and a negative WAR. The bullpen has been even worse: Devin Williams (4.70 ERA), Ian Hamilton (4.31 ERA), and Mark Leiter Jr. (4.46 ERA) are part of a relief unit that ranks 23rd in ERA league-wide.
And it’s not like help is coming. Giancarlo Stanton has only played 28 games. The rotation has been held together by duct tape, and the bullpen is gasping for air. This is not a World Series team. It’s barely a Wild Card team.
Don’t Blame the “Outfield Logjam”
One of the front office’s justifications for trading Jones is that the outfield is “full.” Sure—if you ignore the fact that Cody Bellinger is a rental, Stanton is made of glass, and Jasson Domínguez is still unproven.
There’s room for Spencer Jones if the Yankees make room, especially if Judge has to miss time. Like he is doing now with a flexor strain. But if they ship him out now, they’re sending a clear message: they care more about salvaging this lost season than investing in the future. And that would be a catastrophic mistake.
Trading Jones for a reliever or even a mid-tier starter won’t fix this team’s many flaws. It would just give them one more name to DFA next July.
Cashman’s recent trades feel more like 2013 than 2009. That year, the Yankees scrambled midseason, adding aging veterans and hoping for a miracle. It didn’t work. Trading away a talent like Jones now would only accelerate a second-half collapse and harm the franchise in the long term.
The Yankees already lead the league in bad vibes and bullpen meltdowns. The last thing they should do is double down on desperation and trade away a player who could anchor the outfield for the next decade.
Spencer Jones is the kind of player you build around, not the kind you cash in for a slim shot at the last Wild Card spot.
This team isn’t one player away. It’s a teardown away. And if the Yankees can’t see that, they deserve what’s coming next.
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