Yankees' eye-opening trade deadline plans for Jasson Dominguez revealed

Will 2026 finally be the year that Jasson Dominguez carves out an everyday role in the Yankees' lineup? His 2023 cameo tantalized. His end-of-year surgery depressed. His stuck-in-between career has bugged us ever since. Can't he get more run? Should he, if the defense never gets better? What's the peak? What's the fit?

Consider the Yankees as confused as the rest of us. There might be an elite leadoff hitter in there, and he very well could get the chance to replace Trent Grisham in 2026 with a lengthy runway ahead of him. He also might not make it to Opening Day, and a recently released tidbit about the Yankees' 2025 trade deadline only serves to further reinforce the Yankees' semi-skeptical view.

According to Ryan Garcia at Empire Sports Media, and reinforced and clarified by Randy Wilkins, the director of ESPN's The Captain, the Yankees floated Dominguez in trade packages at the 2025 deadline, specifically in the direction of the Twins.

Now, the pro in Dominguez's column? The Yankees still considered him a centerpiece of a major rumored deal. The con? They were willing to surrender him at all, trying to flip the outfielder for a top-tier closer in Jhoan Duran (and other major pieces).

Yankees tried to trade Jasson Dominguez to Twins for Jhoan Duran at 2025 trade deadline

Probably better this didn't go through? After all, relievers are volatile. The more relievers you trade for, the more bites at the apple you get. If the Yankees trade for Duran, they might pair him with Camilo Doval and Jake Bird, but they almost definitely don't snag David Bednar, who's been a godsend. Dominguez (who still could be on the table...) plus Bednar is greater than Duran, as electric as his heater might be.

Makes you wonder how "major" the other pieces were, though. Joe Ryan? Pablo López? Louis Varland?

At this point, it seems likelier than not that the Yankees roll with Dominguez on the roster next season, especially with his trade value diminished. Of course ... if someone external wants to believe in him more than the Twins did ... he's as good as gone. And it almost happened in July, before the Phillies earned the Minnesota spoils instead.