3 Yankees prospects who should not be traded and 2 who should

Offensive help is certainly on the way for the New York Yankees from within. Will that help translate into big-league production, or regress when they graduate from the minors? Who's to say?! Let's maybe ... hire people who can make sure that doesn't keep happening! I don't know, could be fun!

Either way, the Yankees have a number of high-profile talents in their system who certainly seem like potential blockbuster additions to the roster down the road. They're also going to have to sell a few of them off, either this summer or next offseason, in order to maximize the team's title-winning window around Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole.

Based on the 2023 season to date, the team has a ways to go, and shouldn't sacrifice any of their future stars to make a patchwork midseason upgrade. The reality of the situation is that Brian Cashman entered '23 with an incomplete roster and hoped to solve several problems at an impossibly low cost on the fly. He admitted as such to Chris Kirschner this week; once Carlos Rodón was in the fold, the team didn't want to spend more money on an outfielder. "Something bigger," indeed.

When the offseason begins, the Yankees will have a lot more financial flexibility and maneuvering opportunities. For now, facing a market featuring very few sellers (the White Sox, the Cardinals, and ...?), the team must be especially careful about which prospects they dangle and which targets to go all in on. Bottom line? 2023's trade deadline cannot be like 2022's edition. Frankie Montas cannot be the prize. The upper minors cannot be gutted again with no resulting benefit. It just can't happen.

You'll notice Oswald Peraza does not have a slot on this list. The reasoning there is twofold:

1. He should be able to contribute in the Bronx right now. If not now, he should slide into Josh Donaldson's role, even if Gleyber Torres isn't traded.

2. His value has been diminished by riding the rails this season and falling behind Anthony Volpe, ostensibly, on the depth chart. If you wouldn't trade him last season, why trade him now? His future may ultimately be elsewhere but, if so, that's a front office failing we can't endorse.

3 Yankees prospects who should be kept, and 2 who should be traded

Yankees Prospects Who Should Not Be Traded: Jasson Dominguez

Jasson Dominguez is the Yankees' No. 1 prospect for a reason. His tools are unmatched. His raw power is incredible. His keen eye sustained him through early struggles this season. He could be a powerful, patient superstar. If he wasn't desired by the Pirates in a Bryan Reynolds trade package this winter (they wanted pitching, he got extended), then he shouldn't be dealt at all. Just because you have a top prospect doesn't mean he needs to go away in case he busts.

If the anonymous scouts Randy Miller likes to chat with dictated the Yankees' plans, they would've traded Dominguez during his full-season debut. Luckily, the front office seems to be a bit more rational.

Dominguez's spring training showcase this year proved he has big-league tools. His .207 average, 10 bombs, 37 RBI, 16 steals, and .353 OBP during the regular season at Double-A confirmed that, while there's still a ways to go, the talent breaks through. Selling him for anything less than a perfect fit would be a random shame.