Minor League Baseball

MLB Insider Sheds Light on New York Yankees' Willingness to Trade Top Prospect

Spencer Jones has been mashing with the New York Yankees' Triple-A affiliate, boosting his trade value so high that he may only move if Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes is on the table.
Sam Connon|
Dunedin, Florida, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Spencer Jones (78) looks on against the New York Yankees at TD Ballpark.
Dunedin, Florida, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Spencer Jones (78) looks on against the New York Yankees at TD Ballpark. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

In this story:

New York YankeesPittsburgh Pirates

The New York Yankees have a few gems stashed in their farm system, but it may not be easy for other teams to plunder their riches.

Outfielder Spencer Jones, for example, is ranked as New York's No. 4 prospect. Since getting promoted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the 24-year-old is batting .400 with a 1.407 OPS.

Jones, who used to be pegged as one of the top 50 prospects in the sport, has racked up 29 home runs, 13 doubles and 16 stolen bases through 68 total minor league games in 2025.

While that level of production sure boosted Jones' value on the trade market, it appears that the Yankees would prefer to hold onto the 6-foot-7 slugger.

According to the New York Post's Jon Heyman, Jones "isn't going anywhere." Heyman went as far as saying that the only type of player the Yankees would trade Jones for is Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes, who is currently not being made available via trade.

The Yankees already addressed their need at third base by acquiring third baseman Ryan McMahon in a trade with the Colorado Rockies on Friday. They parted ways with pitching prospects Griffin Herring and Josh Grosz in order to complete the deal.

But with superstar outfielder Aaron Judge hitting the 10-day injured list with a flexor strain on Sunday, the remaining holes on New York's roster just got exacerbated. While parting ways with Jones doesn't seem to be in the cards, the Yankees may need to ship out other prospects if they are going to buy at the deadline.

Infielder George Lombard Jr. is ranked as the No. 1 prospect in New York's organization and the No. 29 prospect in baseball. Right-handed pitchers Carlos Lagrange and Cam Schlittler recently broke into the top 100.

Related MiLB Stories

  • FLORES DRAWING INTEREST: Catcher Rafael Flores, who was recently promoted to Triple-A, could be the price the New York Yankees have to pay at the trade deadline if they intend to be buyers. CLICK HERE
  • SFG PROSPECT MASHING: Bryce Eldridge, who recently rejoined Triple-A Sacramento after recovering from a hamstring injury, has been putting his power on full display. CLICK HERE
  • ORIOLES INK TOP OF: Slater de Brun, the top-ranked high school outfielder in the 2025 MLB Draft class, secured quite the payday from the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday. CLICK HERE

Follow MiLB On SI on social media

Continue to follow our Minor League Baseball On SI coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook.

You can also follow Sam Connon on Twitter @SamConnon.

Published | Modified
Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and other "On SI'' baseball sites. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for “UCLA on SI’’ and won awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for “New England Patriots on SI’’ and was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Follow Sam on Twitter @SamConnon.

Home/NEWS