With two weeks remaining until the Trade Deadline, the Yankees are among the contenders looking to upgrade some areas of concern as they prepare for the stretch run.
New York is in need of a catcher – preferably one who hits right-handed – as well as bullpen reinforcements, the latter becoming an annual trend for general manager Brian Cashman.
But what can the Yankees offer to sellers to land the talent they’re seeking?
Two of New York’s highly touted prospects appear to be non-starters; infielder George Lombard Jr. (the Yankees’ No. 1 prospect and No. 20 in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100) and RHP Carlos Lagrange (Yankees No. 4, No. 80 in the Top 100). Assuming those two are off the table, that leaves two other Top 100 prospects in play as potential trade bait: shortstop Dax Kilby (No. 58) and RHP Elmer Rodríguez (No. 73), along with former top prospects Jasson Domínguez and Spencer Jones.
Domínguez and Jones have both seen time in the Majors, though neither outfielder has lived up to the hype to this point.
Domínguez played 26 games during stints with the Yankees in 2023-24, getting his first real chance in 2025. In 123 games, the switch-hitting outfielder slashed .257/.331/.388 with 10 home runs, 47 RBIs and 23 stolen bases. He opened this season at Triple-A with Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham firmly set in the outfield, but injuries to Judge and Grisham (and designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton) gave Domínguez another shot at the Majors. In 39 games, the 23-year-old is slashing .229/.265/.396 with five home runs, 11 RBIs and six steals, so he may be running out of chances to prove he’s part of the Yankees’ future.
Jones made his big league debut on May 8, but in 30 games over two stints with the Yankees, the 6-foot-7 slugger slashed .233/.317/.370 with two home runs and seven RBIs. Earlier this month, the 25-year-old was optioned back to Triple-A, where he has 14 home runs, 51 RBIs and a .951 OPS in 51 games this season.
Could Domínguez and/or Jones be viewed league-wide as change-of-scenery candidates? Both are still young, have already reached the Majors, and still possess the tools that have helped them achieve top-prospect status in the first place.
Kilby, a 19-year-old selected with the No. 39 overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, is projected by many to wind up at either second base or in center field thanks to a history of shoulder issues and what MLB Pipeline referred to as “a funky arm action.” A left-handed hitter with 20-20 potential, Kilby has been sidelined all season with a hamstring injury, but he recently began a rehab assignment. The Yankees would love to hang on to Kilby, so it will likely take a big return for New York to part with him.
Rodríguez – who may be New York’s most appealing trade chip – has made four starts for the Yankees this season, going 0-2 with a 4.76 ERA in his first taste of the Majors. The 22-year-old righty has a 2.85 ERA in 13 Triple-A starts this season, and while Rodríguez could be a piece of the Yankees’ rotation in the future, New York is deep in starting pitching with Max Fried, Gerrit Cole, Cam Schlittler, Carlos Rodón, Ryan Weathers, Will Warren and Clarke Schmidt on the 40-man roster and Lagrange on the way.
Two other names to keep in the back of your head: left-handers Henry Lalane and Allen Facundo.
Lalane, the Yankees’ No. 14 prospect, is a hard-throwing 22-year-old signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2021 who had a 2.74 ERA in 13 starts for Single-A Tampa this season before being promoted to High-A Hudson Valley earlier this month. The 6-foot-7 southpaw recently had back-to-back games with 10-plus strikeouts, showing the type of dominance that often gets scouts’ attention.
Facundo, the Yankees’ No. 26 prospect, was also part of the team’s 2021 international class, though he missed all of 2022 with shoulder issues and had Tommy John surgery in May 2024. Following the surgery, Facundo returned throwing harder than ever, sitting at 94-96 mph while touching 100 at times. Facundo has a 3.71 ERA in 15 starts with Tampa and Hudson Valley this season, though some project him as a reliever long-term.