What Are the Yankees Going to Do with Jasson Dominguez?
- Joseph Esposito
- Jan 27
- 3 min read
Jasson Dominguez was receiving otherworldly hype before he was even a teenager. Nicknamed “The Martian” for his supposedly out of this world talent, Dominguez was drawing comparisons to Mickey Mantle and Mike Trout as early as age 16.
The reality, though, is that expecting Jasson, or frankly any prospect, to live up to those standards was always a one in a million outcome.
Now, with just one year of service time under his belt and at only 22 years old, Yankees fans are all asking the same question. Should the Yankees trade Jasson Dominguez?
To answer that, we need to start with his 2025 season to fully understand the player he is right now.
Jasson Dominguez’s 2025 Season
Dominguez had a slightly above average season in 2025. He finished with 0.6 WAR, putting him just above league average. He appeared in 123 games and posted the following numbers.
Offense.
257 AVG
.331 OBP
.388 SLG
.719 OPS
103 wRC+
Defense
-10 OAA
-9 FRV
Offensively, it was an acceptable but unspectacular season. Dominguez was slightly above average by OPS and wRC+, and he was particularly effective against right handed pitching, posting a .768 OPS and a 116 wRC+. However, he struggled significantly against left handed pitching, where he managed just a .569 OPS and a 63 wRC+.
The bigger concern lies in his defense.
Dominguez logged nearly 800 innings in left field in 2025 and finished as the worst defensive left fielder in Major League Baseball by Outs Above Average at -10. He also ranked third worst in Fielding Run Value at -9, trailing only Heliot Ramos and Andrew Benintendi.
Fit on the 2026 Yankees Roster
Now that we have reviewed his 2025 season, let’s look at how Dominguez fits on the 2026 Yankees.
Entering the offseason, both Trent Grisham and Cody Bellinger were potential free agents. The Yankees extended a qualifying offer to Grisham, which he accepted, and they later re signed Bellinger to a five year deal.
In total, the Yankees will be paying roughly 74 million dollars in 2026 for Grisham at 22 million and Bellinger at 32.5 million plus a 20 million dollar signing bonus, despite having a cheaper internal option in Dominguez. That decision speaks volumes about how the organization currently views him.
Not only did the Yankees bring back two outfielders instead of handing a job to Dominguez, but their current roster construction leaves him poorly suited for the bench role he has been pigeonholed into. The Yankees are already overloaded with left handed hitters and desperately need bench players who can hit left handed pitching. As his 63 wRC+ against lefties in 2025 shows, Dominguez does not fit that need.
The Yankees’ Dilemma
The Yankees now find themselves in a difficult spot. They should not give Jasson Dominguez away for nothing, but allowing him to sit on the bench for another year without a clear path to consistent playing time will only continue to erode his value.
This may very well be the peak of Dominguez’s trade value, and there is a deal the Yankees could make that helps them both in 2026 and beyond.
In this proposed trade, the Yankees would acquire Drew Rasmussen and Garrett Cleavinger from the Rays, both of whom have two years of team control remaining. In return, the Yankees would send Jasson Dominguez, who has five years of team control, along with their number five prospect Bryce Cunningham and number ten prospect Brock Selvidge.
The Rays have already shown a willingness to trade within the division this offseason, as evidenced by their deal sending Shane Baz to the Orioles for prospects.
Rasmussen ranked as a top 20 pitcher in xFIP while pitching most of his games in the extremely hitter friendly environment of George M. Steinbrenner Field. A move to a more neutral setting could lead to even better results in 2026.
Cleavinger is a high velocity left handed reliever with a dominant slider and sweeper combination. He misses bats, keeps the ball on the ground, and would provide a strong alternative to Tim Hill out of the bullpen.
Final Thoughts
As hard as it is for fans to let go of a highly touted prospect like Jasson Dominguez, especially when clinging to the hype and hope that he might still become a star, it may be time to move on and use him to meaningfully improve a roster built to compete for a championship in 2026.
Let me know your thoughts. Would you trade Jasson Dominguez, and would you like this move for the Yankees?
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