Getty Spencer Jones throwing a ball
Last offseason, the New York Yankees weren’t willing to move Spencer Jones to improve their Big League roster. Given the expectations for the season, it was an interesting decision to prospect hug, but the Yankees believe they have a future star in their farm system.
Depending on what Juan Soto does, moving Jones could be in the picture. If the Yankees don’t believe he’s ready to make an impact in 2025 and want a proven outfielder, Jones might be on his way out in a trade for an above-average player.
Peter Appel of Just Baseball proposed a deal that would move Jones to the Texas Rangers for Adolis Garcia, an intriguing trade for the Yankees if Garcia got back to his ways.
“Garcia is coming off a weird year. In 2023, he put up a 4.6 fWAR, hit 39 home runs, and put up a .836 OPS. Then in the playoffs, he hit 8 home runs in 15 games, and was named the ALCS MVP. From 2021-2022, he averaged a 3.0 fWAR with nearly 30 home runs and 20 stolen bases. Last season, his wRC+ dropped to 92, and his defense declined rapidly. He won the gold glove in 2023, but in 2024, he was a terrible defender in right field…
“Is he just bad now? I have a hard time believing that. He’s going to be 32 years old in 2025, and maybe a fresh start on a new team could get him back to being the player he was just last year… Spencer Jones, one of the Yankees best prospects, could be enough to get the deal done in a one-for-one swap. Jones is an exciting prospect due to his power potential, but after back-to-back seasons with an OPS under .800 in the minors with a lot of swing-and-miss, maybe both players could use a change of scenery,” Appel wrote on November 26.
Yankees Could Have Moved Jones for a Star Last Winter
There were multiple high-level players on the trade market last winter, and while the New York Yankees got the best one traded in Soto, they could’ve done more if they were willing to move Jones.
Not moving Jones wasn’t the wrong decision. If they truly believe there’s something there, the Yankees have every right to keep him around.
According to Jorge Castillo of ESPN, the Yankees view him as a potential franchise talent.
“The Yankees firmly believe the 22-year-old is a future star. It’s why he is still in the organization.
“The Yankees could have made Jones the centerpiece in a major trade in recent months — even just this week — to improve a roster in win-now mode for the 2024 season. But team brass is so convinced of Jones’ talents that he has been deemed virtually untouchable,” Castillo wrote in March.
However, the issue is that the Yankees will face more pressure to win a World Series than ever in 2025. They got close last year but came up just short. Fans want a ring, and if Jones isn’t ready, there’s reason to move him.
Should the Yankees Trade Jones?
If the New York Yankees were to trade Jones, they might be looking for a better player than Garcia. That doesn’t take away from the player he was, as he played a major part in the Texas Rangers winning a World Series in 2023, but his downplay last year leaves some question marks.
In the 2023 postseason, he was a hero, slashing .323/.382/.726 with eight home runs in 62 at-bats.
A swap for Jones would be a good deal if he played at that level when it matters most, but he also hits free agency in 2027, so they wouldn’t have him for too long.
Jones had a rough showing in the minors last year, striking out at an alarming rate. Whether the Yankees should put much stock into that is one thing, as he’s still young. However, his numbers were a bit concerning.