Updated Yankees Top 10 prospect rankings after Juan Soto trade

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The Yankees may have cleared out a good deal of exciting pitching in the Juan Soto trade with the San Diego Padres, but they did not ruin their stockpile of top prospects. That's all thanks to Matt Blake.

While Jhony Brito and Randy Vásquez ate valuable big-league innings -- and occasionally shined -- in 2023, neither was supposed to be a foundational piece for this pitching staff, until Blake came along and turned them into capable arms and hot commodities. Michael King emerged as a bullpen ace in 2022, thanks to Blake's work (and Corey Kluber's grip), but the only reason he was able to serve as the centerpiece of a Soto deal was his September switch to the rotation.

The Yankees have lost a stockpile of arms in recent days, but even after the departure of Drew Thorpe and several of their key 2023 contributors, they still retain a great deal of talent (and, yes, some more tantalizing arms for Blake to hone). Two of their three top pitching prospects entering the offseason remain in the system, with several 2023 draftees on the verge of their pro debuts expected to emerge this summer as assets.

Baseball America's brand new rankings were quite kind to the Yankees, and their evaluation of "stuff" across the board in the minors ranks New York second or third in several top metrics. Though the Yankees' Top 10 now mainly consists of position player prospects (crazy), it seems likely their program will continue to churn out viable arms while these offensive stars take center stage.

Yankees Top 10 Prospects List Following Juan Soto Trade (and Drew Thorpe's Departure)

1. Jasson Dominguez

MLB Pipeline recently slotted Spencer Jones into the No. 1 spot in their rankings over Dominguez, which makes sense. Jones oozes potential, and that's what the prospecting game is all about. But what Dominguez did during his short week in the bigs, when all his tools finally clicked, earned him the top spot. He put several years of hype into practice, and if his rehab goes according to plan (so far, so good), he'll join an absolutely ridiculous outfield later in the summer.

2. Spencer Jones

Evaluators seem to believe Jones has every tool necessary to someday make the leap into vaunted territory. He wasn't able to replicate his absurd 2022 pro debut (.344 with a .963 OPS across two levels), but Jones still stabilized to hit .267 with 16 homers and a .780 OPS while navigating to Double-A Somerset by the end of the season. There aren't many hulking behemoths like Jones who've survived in the outfield, but luckily, one of the others is in pinstripes, too. Expect him to open the 2024 campaign at Double-A again.

3. Chase Hampton

Chase Hampton is now the system's top pitching prospect, and most evaluators were actually aligned on that even before Drew Thorpe departed. Thorpe was the 2023 MLB Pipeline Pitching Prospect of the Year based on his otherworldly changeup, but Hampton's arsenal seems a little more complete. After 145 Ks in 106.2 innings last year, he'll try to build on his breakout between Double- and Triple-A again this summer.

4. Everson Pereira

Pereira's in an odd spot. His cup of coffee, meant to spark the Yankees, was largely bereft of highlights. Expectations weren't through the roof for the outfielder's glorified exhibition showcase, but they still weren't met. It's hard to envision a spot for Pereira as a starter for the Yankees moving forward, especially if Soto signs long-term, and it's now up to the team to decide between carrying him as a final bench piece or giving him everyday minor-league reps. Seems like an easy decision, yet also a pretty big bummer.

5. Roderick Arias

Arias has the potential to be the biggest breakout name in the system this summer, as long as the player in the No. 6 spot doesn't capture those honors. One of the preeminent bonus babies in the system (No. 1 in the 2022 international class), he'll get his first taste of full-season ball in 2024 after his FCL breakout was derailed by a hand injury last summer. We've heard about him forever, but he's still just 19 years old.

6. George Lombard Jr.

Lombard Jr. was not the consensus pick for the Yankees in the 2023 draft's first round; that would be Sammy Stafura, the local shortstop who went to Cincinnati. Somehow, the Yankees spent the whole draft process eyeballing shortstop, despite a laundry list of names already locked down at the position in the system. It's time to see what made Lombard Jr.'s pedigree so special.

7. Austin Wells

Wells will graduate from the system, officially, next season, following in Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza's footsteps. His bat heated up towards the end of his September cameo, after the lefty shocked evaluators by looking more comfortable defensively to begin his big-league tenure. He'll split reps with Jose Trevino next season, and seems likely to be a part of the Yankees' long-term plans. He posted a .743 OPS/97 OPS+ after digging himself out of a sizable September rut. That takes guts.

8. Will Warren

Expect to see Warren first; his exceptional sweeper carried him to the upper minors last season, and he's now atop the depth chart in the Brito/Vásquez spot. It's kind of miraculous the Yankees were never forced to include him in the Soto talks instead of plucking players off their big-league roster, but ... so be it. The stage is set for Warren to be a major MLB contributor in 2024 and beyond.

9. Trey Sweeney

The unsung lefty hero of the Yankees' shortstop pipeline, Sweeney was selected in the first round in 2021 and hit .252 with a .367 OBP, 13 bombs, and surprisingly solid defense at Double-A last summer. The 23-year-old has a stroke built for Yankee Stadium and an excellent hit tool, but has yet to have a breakout campaign. Expect Sweeney to be dangled midseason for potential big-league upgrades.

10. Henry Lalane

We'll be the middle man on Lalane here. Baseball America's brand new top 10 has the teenaged lefty ranked eighth, while MLB Pipeline has stuck him 12th ahead of what should be a breakout year in full-season ball. There's precious little tape available on Lalane, but experts claim the 6'7" left-hander was the clear pitching standout of New York's ridiculously talented FCL roster. He seems to be what's next.

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