Wild Yankees-Twins Jasson Dominguez trade is a midwinter hoax gone mad

The idea of Yankees top prospect Jasson Dominguez potentially hitting the trade block has flitted around the internet a bit the past couple of days, which seems outlandish in its own right. The latest Martian trade proposal to go viral, though, is so crazy it could've only been concocted by a drunk Dominguez with two Bud Heavies strapped to his goggles.

The buzz began when Barstool Sports' Eric Hubbs stoked the rumor mill on Saturday -- or, really, it began when Dominguez didn't get elevated to the Yankees' MLB roster until after the Sept. 1 expansion deadline, then played sparingly when he was promoted, struggled defensively in left field, and didn't make a playoff impact.

Fans started to wonder whether Brian Cashman and Co. couldn't find a "lane" for Dominguez because they were skeptical of his ability to contribute, and force-fed fans Alex Verdugo because they didn't believe the top prospect was ready to take the reins.

Therefore, the "vibe" Hubbs has felt through the "tealeaves" makes sense, in a vacuum.

Hubbs followed that initial drop with the addendum, "There’s another big piece I heard tonight that makes me think they are truly shopping him for a win now guy," later clarifying he was referring to an outfielder.

Spoiler alert: this resulted in madness, and rumor-mongering accounts began to circulate the idea that Dominguez has been discussed in talks with the Twins in exchange for "win-now" (if healthy) center fielder Byron Buxton.

Are Yankees trading Jasson Dominguez for Byron Buxton? Almost definitely not.

It's a good extrapolation, but it has no basis in reality. In fact, the "rumor" was originated by a Twitter user hoping specifically to see it aggregated. Then ... that happened. And now we're here.

It's a very good troll, but it gives me all the pleasure in the world to report: A guy made it up.

Well, either that, or everything this person tweets is true and Donald Trump was in the Yankees' Juan Soto meeting. One of the two.

According to FanSided's MLB insider Robert Murray on the latest episode of The Baseball Insiders, he hadn't heard a word about Dominguez being dangled on the trade block, a move that would make very little sense with Juan Soto's future still hanging in the balance.

If Soto returns, the defensive deficiencies for Dominguez never get any better, and Aaron Judge won't fit in left field, then it could become a possibility, especially with two years left on Giancarlo Stanton's DH contract.

For now, though? Much ado about nothing, and another symptom of this slow-as-hell offseason delusion, just like last year.