Despite their ups and downs, the New York Yankees boast a 70-49 record, sharing the top spot in the American League. This is an impressive team, led by two of the era’s best players, Aaron Judge and Juan Soto.
There’s little stopping the Yankees from making a serious bid for the World Series. They could potentially host a championship parade this winter. However, they aren’t perfect, and their shortcomings became glaringly apparent due to their lack of action at the trade deadline.
When a team has a limited window to compete especially with Soto’s contract ending soon it makes sense to make bold moves. The Yankees are close to achieving greatness and could have made significant trades at the deadline to strengthen their roster.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. has been an important addition, injecting energy into a previously stagnant team. However, Chisholm alone cannot solve all of New York’s issues. The infield lacks offensive consistency, and another top-tier starter would have been beneficial.
Many players were linked to the Yankees before the deadline Garrett Crochet, Blake Snell, and Vlad Guerrero among them but the team chose to be cautious. A key reason for New York’s lack of significant additions has been their reluctance to trade Spencer Jones, their No. 2 prospect.
Now, the Yankees appear open to trading Jones for the right player, although this decision comes a bit late.
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The Yankees are finally considering trading Spencer Jones for the right star.
According to Andy Martino of SNY, Jones was not available in trade talks during the offseason, even when players like Corbin Burnes and Dylan Cease were involved. By the trade deadline, the Yankees were still reluctant to trade him, but it was no longer off the table. Martino suggests Tarik Skubal as the type of player New York might consider trading Jones for.
.@martinonyc reports on the Yankees’ perspective on possibly trading Spencer Jones in the right deal this offseason.
That is the right approach for the Yankees. While Jones has had a rocky time in the minors, he remains a unique talent at 23. New York is not willing to trade him for less, but for a key player in a potential World Series run, it would be worth it, especially if the star player has several years of team control remaining.
Burnes was on an expiring deal when the Baltimore Orioles traded for him, a move that might come back to haunt the Yankees in October. However, Cease was controllable for a few years, as were Skubal and Crochet at the trade deadline. If New York had wanted to secure their championship chances, trading Jones could have brought in the necessary player.
Trades in MLB are challenging. Every team values its top prospects, even though projecting prospects is often uncertain. Jones is on track for a successful MLB career, but that is not guaranteed. Burnes or Cease would have definitely improved the Yankees’ title chances this season. The same applies to the top pitchers New York bypassed at the deadline.
The Yankees’ front office deserves credit for the Chisholm trade, but missing out on multiple Cy Young candidates and potentially losing Juan Soto invites criticism.
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