ESPN's 'bold' Yankees offseason prediction features the wrong Jasson Dominguez take

One of the slow-simmering rumors this offseason had been a potential trade of Jasson Dominguez. For much of the winter, the idea of moving the once-ballyhooed former top prospect seemed impossible. He was the New York Yankees' insurance policy against a negative Cody Bellinger outcome.

However, Bellinger is back, igniting a blaze of hot takes about an imminent trade of the Martian. ESPN would have you believe that it will happen before the start of spring training.

The reasoning is simple. Dominguez disappointed in his rookie season, with his defensive issues often drawing the ire of fans. Bellinger's return stifles his chances for regular at-bats in left field. And finally, the Yankees still have needs — starting pitching, anyone who can bat right-handed, the largely ignored bullpen — and the young outfielder might be their best chip to fill at least one of them.

But when you really think about it, the logic behind trading Dominguez now begins to break down. Bellinger back in the Bronx doesn't make a trade more likely, and moving him on such an accelerated timeline makes little sense.

ESPN's prediction Yankees will trade Jasson Dominguez before start of spring training is a misguided one

First, the concerns about playing time are overblown. This is more or less the same roster as last season, with the same three outfielders — Aaron Judge, Trent Grisham, and Bellinger — ahead of him on the depth chart. To boot, he also had to deal with Ben Rice's emergence and Giancarlo Stanton's return, clogging up the DH spot further, making at-bats scarce (yet he still wound up playing 123 games).

Injuries will happen. Stanton's workload, even as solely a DH, will be managed, and opportunities will present themselves. Maybe Cameron Maybin's wild proclamation means the Yankees are planning to open up at-bats in a different way. In any case, a lack of depth has killed New York in the past. Why give it up now?

Moving on, who exactly is still available on the trade market that is worth surrendering Dominguez? A deal for Freddy Peralta or even MacKenzie Gore would've made sense, but both are preparing to begin life in their new digs. The Twins have stated that they plan to hold on to frontline starters Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez, and the rumors surrounding the two have become quiet as a church mouse, indicating that they are serious.

Most importantly, trading Dominguez now would be selling low. If the Yankees wanted maximum return for him, they would have traded him before last season, when he was widely regarded as a top-50 prospect. Now, he's just another youngster trying to find his sea legs.

In the same breath, we overestimate how bad Dominguez truly was last season. He posted a 103 wRC+, meaning he was 3% better than the average major league hitter, and stole 23 bags. He doesn't even turn 23 until February. For those clamoring for Spencer Jones to usurp him, remember Jones is nearly two full years older, and despite his summer scorcher, finished 2025 on a down note in Scranton while striking out 36.6% of the time in Triple-A.

Dominguez is still so young, and the talent that made his name ubiquitous among the various lists of can't-miss prospects hasn't evaporated yet. He has rough edges to smooth out, and right now that dings his value. But it doesn't mean it's time to write him off. It also doesn't mean that he won't eventually be shown the door, but that will be more likely if he can regenerate some of his former buzz and it becomes clear that he's superfluous to this iteration of the Yankees.

Until then, trading him now is a fool's errand. There isn't much out there that would be a fair deal at this point, and whatever is being offered isn't worth what he could net at the trade deadline or beyond.