MLB insider kickstarts Yankees Winter Meetings trade rumors with top prospect take

The meat of the offseason is nearly upon us. On Dec. 7, the baseball world will descend on Orlando, Florida, for the annual Winter Meetings, with agents roaming the hotel halls and general managers going full throttle on the wheeling and dealing. Much of the offseason's business gets done during this weekend, and surely New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman will be on the prowl.

Free agent signings might get top billing, but the offseason's biggest blockbuster trades often happen during these festivities. For example, it was the 2023 version of the Winter Meetings where the trade that brought Juan Soto to the Bronx was consummated.

With that, the insiders are making their predictions on who is most likely to be on the move. When it comes to the Yankees, Mark Feinsand is predicting that a youngster of gigantic proportions could become the centerpiece of a potential blockbuster. Feinsand is naming No. 4 prospect Spencer Jones as the Yankees' prime trade candidate after his scintillating 35-homer minor league campaign.

Spencer Jones was named the Yankees' player most likely to be moved in a Winter Meetings blockbuster

The outfield is both unsettled and crowded at the same time. Trent Grisham accepting the qualifying offer has led to more questions than answers. The 29-year-old will be roaming center field, but the Yankees have now become entirely too left-handed.

Jones is a big lefty bat, and Jasson Dominguez might as well only hit from the left side, thanks to a .569 OPS from the righty batter's box in 2025. Cody Bellinger, despite being a lefty, brought balance last season thanks to his reverse split that saw him hit .353 against southpaws.

A reunion with Bellinger might still be in the cards, thus creating a different kind of bottleneck. Rumors might have Kyle Tucker in play as an alternative option, but we'll believe that when we see it. Either way, something has got to give, and the question will be whether Jones or Dominguez is the best bet to be traded.

Dominguez's disappointing rookie year has his value at its lowest point, while Jones' fantastic summer surge has him higher. On the flip side, Dominguez is only 22 (Jones is already 24, for reference) and has a decent shot to bounce back, while Jones still hasn't put his sky-high strikeout concerns to bed.

Therefore, it might behoove the Yankees to deal Jones before it's too late and he proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that he'll never be able to control the whiffs to the point that they won't torpedo his production.

For Jones' part, he's working hard to force the club's hand and roster him out of spring training. Adding fuel to the fire have been Brian Cashman's contradictory statements regarding Jones having a shot to carve out a prominent role, while at other times sounding down on the prospect of these two young outfielders being counted on as regular contributors.

The Yankees' budget will be tight, and the trade market might help them fill a need at below market cost in dollars. That might come at Jones' expense, and the risk-reward with trading him could be paralyzing. As stated, if he never figures out how to manage his strikeouts, his value could soon turn to dust, but if he does get it straightened out, his ceiling is that of a more athletic, left-handed Aaron Judge.

Expect him to be a highly in-demand player in trade negotiations, and don't be surprised if he's part of a blockbuster before the festivities come to a close.