A Jasson Domínguez trade sure feels inevitable after Yankees sweep of Cardinals

If the last five or so months are any indication of New York Yankees slugger Jasson Domínguez’s future, then you’ll forgive us for not having much faith in him sticking in the outfield.

Although Domínguez’s .718 OPS is right in line with the league average (.719), it’s nonetheless hard not to feel like he’s disappointed this season. In fact, watching Domínguez in left field went from an adventure to a nightmare worth looking away from; his -8 Rdrs (Defensive Runs Saved Above Average) ranks worst league-wide among left fielders who have played at least 50 games. 

Domínguez is one of only four left fielders worth at least -7 Rdrs, joining the Astros’ Jose Altuve (-10), the Braves’ Jurickson Profar (-9) and the Giants’ Heliot Ramos (-7). Altuve has been so bad in left field that Houston has mostly played him at second since the start of June.

As for Domínguez, he’s splitting at-bats with Trent Grisham at this point. Yankees manager Aaron Boone isn’t taking Cody Bellinger out of the lineup, and Giancarlo Stanton has avoided injury since returning to right field. We’ll see how often Boone uses Stanton in right when Aaron Judge, who has exclusively DH’d since returning from the IL earlier this month, can play the outfield again.

Domínguez’s defenders (pun not intended) will rightfully point out that he’s a 22-year-old in his first full season, and we’re not disputing that. However, it’s also fair to start wondering if the Yankees, given all they’ve seen from Domínguez defensively, will try selling high and trading their former top prospect this offseason.

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Could the Yankees really trade Jasson Domínguez?

There’s a clear difference between “could” and “should,” and we’re focusing on the former here. Whether or not you believe that the Yankees should trade Domínguez this winter is another conversation entirely.

On the one hand, the Yankees might need to keep Domínguez around. Bellinger has a $20 million player option he’ll likely decline, and Grisham is a pending free agent with a career-high 21 home runs. Teams tend to overpay for those types of outfielders, especially when they can move another outfielder to DH.

Domínguez’s defensive issues could still force the Yankees to make a difficult decision. We know that the Yankees aren’t getting rid of Judge, and Stanton has two guaranteed seasons left on his contract. The Yankees couldn’t make Domínguez a full-time DH even if they wanted to.

Moving the 5-foot-9, 218-pound Domínguez to first base feels incredibly unlikely. If anything, there’s a greater chance the Yankees would slowly pivot Judge to first given his size, the injury history and related wear-and-tear and the fact that he’s not even halfway through a nine-year, $360 million deal.

We’re confident suggesting that at least one team is willing to give up a proven MLB cont — Paul Skenes, perhaps!? — if it means landing Domínguez and making him a full-time DH. Even if the potential player in question isn’t Skenes, what’s stopping the Yankees from accepting a Domínguez trade, and that applies even more so if they fail to win the World Series.

There’s still time for Domínguez to change the narrative, and his strong series against the Cardinals this past weekend was a sign that he hasn’t lost confidence yet. However, an eventual Domínguez trade feels inevitable, and the Yankees might need to accept that fact if they haven’t already.