ARLINGTON, Texas — Spencer Jones entered the Futures Game having struck out in an Eastern League-best 37.1 percent of his at-bats.
But he was in games, and that’s not a lost cause in the Yankees’ farm system in 2024. Jones, along with Roderick Elias and Will Warren, is in a subset of Yankees prospects who disappoint, but at least they’re performing in terms of getting on the field.
Jason Dominguez is out for the season after recovering from Tommy John surgery and is currently out with an oblique injury. Everson Pereira had elbow surgery. Chase Hampton, Henry LaLane and Carlos LaGrange recently returned from long-term injuries, and Clayton Beater is likely out for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury. Caleb Durbin has been out since late May with a hand injury. Brock Selvidge, who was invited to the Futures Game, was removed shortly before the game due to biceps soreness that was not considered serious.
On the bingo card was Oswaldo Peraza, who missed the start of the season while recovering from a shoulder injury and whose poor performance saw his status as a prospect plummet.
“I call them a red flag organization,” one Yankees scout said. “They’re making some good plays, but they have red flags all over the place with results and injuries.”
Combine that with the inventory the Yankees have traded in recent years, particularly with their pitching staff, and they have outside questions about the depth and quality of their prospects heading into the trade deadline. And suddenly, in recent weeks, it has become clear that their major league roster needs multiple additions before the 6 p.m. deadline on July 30.
Keep in mind that prospects, like stocks, are always going to fluctuate, and keeping pitchers healthy at all levels in particular is not just an issue for the Yankees. As one talent evaluator said, “A couple of good weeks can change everything.” [in evaluation].”
Plus, like beauty, quality in a prospect is in the eye of the beholder. For example, multiple talent evaluators have noted they still like Warren despite his 6.64 ERA in Triple-A. “I haven’t forgotten what I saw in spring training,” said one scout who covers the Yankees system. “I knew he was going to come up this year and help us.”
And it would be a big deal if just one seller remains fascinated by Jones’ combination of power and athleticism. “Jones has a lot of holes,” said one scout who works in the system. [Jones’] “He’s got a good swing, but once he squares it, you end up talking about it all week because of the distance,” said another. “He’s a medium to high risk, but there’s a lot to like about him.”
And one veteran scout was forthright about the Yankees’ ability to make trades this month: “Brian Cashman is probably better at making trades than anybody. [expletive] There’s some promise.”
So I think the Yankees will at least find a way to acquire two relief pitchers and an infield hitter over the next two-plus weeks. To get that level of return, opposing talent evaluators have cited players like emerging catcher Agustin Ramirez (scout: “I don’t know if he’ll be a catcher, but he’ll hit in the majors”), second baseman Jarrett Serna (“At least a useful utility pitcher, probably a starting second baseman”) and reliever Jack Neely (“He’s on his way to being a reliever right now”) as prospects who could help bolster the Yankees roster at least a little from the outside.
Before Carlos Narvaez was promoted to replace the injured Jose Trevino, one talent evaluator praised him, saying, “He’s surprisingly good. His defense is solid, he has some power in the bat and I think he has some presence.”
But if big names like Isaac Paredes, Yandy Diaz, Mason Miller or Garrett Crochet are moved in the coming weeks, could the Yankees acquire them?
For example, with Dylan Cease on the remaining two years of his contract, the White Sox said in the offseason that Jones had to be the centerpiece of the deal and gave the Yankees a list of other players in which they were interested, including Peraza, Pereira and Warren.
Chicago is seriously considering trading for Crochette, a new All-Star whose recent lackluster pitching numbers may force him into the bullpen at some point this year. The Yankees would likely like to have Crochette as a power lefty in the bullpen for the rest of the season and as part of the starting rotation going forward. But what do the White Sox think of guys like Jones, Peraza, Pereira and Warren right now? And remember, even in the spring, when the Padres beat the Rangers, the Yankees weren’t finalists to acquire Cease.
I feel the Yankees are not willing to trade Dominguez, who is likely to become a starter in the outfield next year. The Yankees drafted Jones first in 2022, hoping that the 6-foot-6 Vanderbilt product could be a lefty version of Aaron Judge. Jones turned 23 in May, a few weeks younger than Anthony Volpe, but he will remain 22 this season. In his age-22 season, Judge was only in High-A, and although he played well, no one was really looking at him as a historic player. So the Yankees don’t want to give up on Jones, and he certainly has a lot of potential.
But if the Yankees sign Juan Soto to a long-term deal and plan to stick with an outfield of Soto, Judge and Dominguez for the time being, would that make Jones even less needed?
The two evaluators agreed that the Yankees looked to have the best prospects in the lineup: Dominguez and Jones, and just below them was shortstop George Lombard, last year’s first-round draft pick who is playing at Low-A despite being very young at 19 years old. The rest of the players were considered easier to acquire through trades.
“The Yankees could give prospects more power as hitters and velocity and spin as pitchers, which would inspire the team’s model for evaluating players in the same way, and give them more to move,” the evaluator said. “But the system is not elite. It’s going downhill. There’s not much to choose from.”
