Good afternoon everyone, it’s time to dive back into the mailbag and answer some of your questions. Remember to send in your questions for our weekly call by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.
EasyRider28 asks: Okay. Is it Eugenio Suárez or bust for third base? Can they pull off a package deal to get him and a pitcher? Can they get a playoff-caliber arm for the rotation?
I do love when a prompt actually gets used, so thank you. Unfortunately, recent news today has ruled out the first
two of these questions for us — Eugenio Suárez is not coming to the Bronx, because the Yankees traded for Ryan McMahon to be their third baseman instead. That, to me, tells me that the rumors of Arizona holding out for a king’s ransom package for Suárez were not only true, but vindicated. Half of the contenders this year need a third baseman, and even though he’d be a rental Suárez is playing like one of the best bats in the league and would dramatically alter the landscape of the postseason for whoever ends up acquiring him. Teams must be willing to play ball with the price tag, and I don’t think the Yankees were ever comfortable going into those prospect waters, for better or worse.
Now, will they be able to pry away an arm from Arizona without Suárez, or find some other partner to get a big arm in the next week? That should be more doable, though it’ll be hard to finding a game-changing arm lying around this year. The market is catered towards No. 3 pitchers that could stabilize a rotation, and that’s nothing to scoff at given New York’s current predicament, but it also means that there’s a number of routes they could go to get largely the same addition, and it all depends on the asking price. Since they’re not diving into the deep end on third base though, perhaps Brian Cashman can cash his chips in here and go for one of the biggest pitchers being floated around in Joe Ryan — he’s under team control through 2027 so he’d cost a fortune, but he’d form a formidable big three with Max Fried and Carlos Rodón.
The idiot that said, “Harper is coming” asks: If you’re the Yankees, and you have to choose one of Jones or Dominguez to keep past the deadline, what do you do?
I have not been enamored by Jasson Domínguez’s play this year, but he’s been suitable for the role they’ve given him. Does Spencer Jones currently flash more upside given his tear through Triple-A’s pitching? Certainly, but there’s a lot more to consider than just power when trying to envision Jones adapting to the major leagues, as our own Michael Zeno discussed recently. The holes in his game are abundantly clear — his contact rate is terrible and his strikeouts are abundant, but if he gets wood on the ball look out. That’s usually a recipe for disaster moving up the levels of professional baseball, but the extreme damage and consistency that Jones has shown when he does indeed get the bat on the ball turns him into a tantalizing prospect instead.
In a down and out year or with an open outfield, there’s no question he would’ve gotten a callup by now, or at least at some point this year. But the Yankees are gunning for contention, and can’t risk rolling the dice on a prospect that could either tear up pitchers or sit below the Mendoza line the rest of the season. I’m bullish on Jones figuring it out and becoming that generational slugger, and think that there’s a world where shuffling Domínguez for more needed pieces while keeping Jones as the long-term left fielder could work out well for them. It’s just a gamble I don’t see them taking when they’ve refused to budge on dealing Domínguez for as long as they have, and when Domínguez is already in the majors at just 22 years of age. They’ll probably hang onto both and force the issue next year, but if push came to shove they’d pick Domínguez over Jones right now.
yankinBAMA asks: With Rice seemingly becoming the back-up catcher, is Rumfield a plausible choice for first base next year? He is a Gold Glove-caliber first baseman which is needed with the left side of the Yankee infield.
Rumfield has put himself into the conversation, at the very least. He’s tearing the cover off of the ball in Triple-A, hitting for a .305/.389/.494 triple slash and a 133 wRC+ with 11 home runs this year. That’ll play, and it’s a safe bet that his bat will show promise as he’s following up on a .824 OPS and 199 wRC+ season in 2024 where he started in Double-A but quickly got a promotion to Triple-A. On top of that, with the Yankees perhaps chasing after a top free agent like Kyle Tucker next year, keeping payroll down by promoting a prospect to the major league roster wouldn’t hurt. I wouldn’t pencil him in for first base yet, but he’s worked himself into a decent spot to contend for it.
Peter and Cheryle asks: Why is Spencer Jones destroying Triple-A pitching after struggling at times in Double-A? Was he bored or discouraged at Double-A and in need of a challenge or will opposing Triple-A pitchers in time identify and target his weaknesses?
Jones’ struggled in Double-A are mostly tied to last year, and he’s made notable changes over the offseason that have clearly paid off. That being said, the elevated heater he’s been on since getting promoted to Triple-A could be a combination of two things: one, he’s just really swinging a hot bat right now, and two, the International League (where Scranton plays) leans more towards hitters succeeding than the Eastern League (where Somerset plays). The second-worst team in the International is hitting for a higher OPS than the third best team in the Eastern, and there’s a significant gap between the top teams in both leagues. It’s a higher offensive environment, which clearly has boded well for a super slugger like Jones.
Perhaps he’s also motivated by the proximity he now has to the major league level, and his numbers will surely go down somewhat if he remains in Triple-A the rest of the year, but for now we’re witnessing one of the best runs a Yankee prospect has produced.
More from pinstripealley.com:
- Yankees acquire Ryan McMahon from Rockies for two prospects
- The Spencer Jones conundrum
- Yankees 2025 draft tracker: 18 of 19 draftees signed
- Yankees Trade Deadline Coverage
- The hitting genius of Aaron Judge
- Pinstripe Alley’s Top 100 Yankees
- 2000 Yankees Diary: The 25th Anniversary of MLB’s Last Three-peat
