The Yankees have stated publicly that they are confident in starting the 2023 season with Aaron Hicks in left field, but with a star outfielder in Bryan Reynolds reportedly seeking a trade, the Bombers will likely continue to check in on that option after getting little to no offensive production from left field in 2022.
But what would it take to convince the Pirates to trade their 2021 All-Star who isn’t a free agent until 2026?
The Athletic’s Jim Bowden, a former MLB general manager, was asked about multiple trade scenarios that would send Reynolds to the Bronx, and one return package was considered to be the best option by Bowden.
“I think Jasson Domínguez and Will Warren would be the best trade package the Pirates could get for Reynolds from the Yankees,” Bowden said. “I would make that deal. But if you prefer Clayton Beeter and Yoendrys Gómez over Warren, I think the Yankees would give that serious consideration, too.”
Dominguez, one of the most hyped Yankee prospects after being a historic international signing with loads of hype that earned him the nickname, “The Martian,” was being compared to Mickey Mantle as the Yankees’ next superstar switch hitting outfielder, all when he was just a teenager. Soon to turn 20 years old, Dominguez has played as high as Double-A, but as a whole in 2022, posted an .837 OPS with 16 home runs. He is currently the 39th ranked prospect in the league, per MLB.com.
Warren, the team’s eighth ranked prospect per MLB.com, was the team’s eighth-round pick in 2021, hits the high 90s with his fastball, and boasts an impressive two-seamer that induces plenty of ground balls. Like Dominguez, he has played as high as Double-A, and in 129 innings of work in 2022, pitched to a 3.91 ERA with 125 strikeouts. Beeter was the prospect the Yanks received from the Dodgers in the Joey Gallo trade, who finished his minor league season strong in 2022.
Whether the Yanks would part with a hyped prospect like Dominguez remains to be seen, but regardless of his promise, MLB history is littered with prospects who fell on their face once they made the difficult jump from Triple-A to the big leagues, and became another cautionary tale in betting it all on players who had never faced MLB pitching. Reynolds, a switch hitter himself, has seen plenty of big league pitching, and has proven he could handle it, hitting 27 home runs last season while batting .262 after hitting .302 with 24 bombs in 2021. If the Yankees could get a deal done for Reynolds without parting with Oswald Peraza or Anthony Volpe, they absolutely should, even if it costs them Dominguez.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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