The New York Yankees are stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to their talented young outfielders. After re-signing Cody Bellinger, New York has a fairly set-in-stone outfield depth chart — with Giancarlo Stanton blocking the DH path, to boot. That leaves 22-year-old Jasson Domínguez and 24-year-old Spencer Jones, both of whom are acing their spring training test, without a clear avenue to regular at-bats.
There's a good chance both start the year in Triple-A as overqualified depth options. With Bellinger and Aaron Judge both locked up long term on the corners, however, it could behoove the Yankees to explore the trade market and recoup value before these become sunk costs. One potential trade partner: the St. Louis Cardinals.
Here's what the Cardinals-Yankees Jasson Domínguez trade could entail
The Yankees should probably trade one of Domínguez and Jones. Which route the front office takes remains to be seen. Domínguez has seen substantial time in the Majors at this point, however, without much meaningful growth. He's only 22 and he's clearly an exceptional talent, but until his outfield reads improve and he learns to consistently hit left-handed pitching, it will be hard for Domínguez to deliver on his former promise as a top prospect.
From St. Louis' perspective, this is a prime opportunity to buy low and develop. Few GMs know how to build out a young core better than Chaim Bloom; it was his speciality in Boston and it's why the Cardinals tabbed him as John Mozeliak's successor. Domínguez probably benefits from a change of scenery, and the path to regular at-bats is far less obstructed in St. Louis.
Why the Yankees benefit from this trade
This is a kind of buy low opportunity for the Yankees as well. Tink Hence is a former top-100 prospect who generated massive hype in his early years with the Cardinals farm system. The 63rd overall pick in 2020, Hence spins a promising gyro slider and gets over 70 percent whiffs on his trademark changeup.
Hence's issue has long been health. He has yet to pitch over 100 innings as a professional and St. Louis is considering a move to the bullpen to see if Hence can get more reps and build a more sustainable career path that way
New York can test out Hence as a starter, but if the 23-year-old winds up maxing out his stuff in the bullpen, it's not a worst-case scenario. The Yankees' pipeline is rife with quality starters; Carlos Lagrange and Elmer Rodríguez are both knocking on the door. If Hence can give the Cardinals a couple quality mid-to-late innings every few nights, there is value there. Every contender needs bullets in the pen.
As for Leonardo Bernal, he's the rare switch-hitting catcher, exhibiting good contact skills from the left side and more power from the right side. More dependably, he's a phenomenal backstop with a knack for framing strikes and sniping would-be base stealers. The 22-year-old is close to the Majors and could profile as a viable backup or platoon option next to Austin Wells. There's even a world in which he's straight up better within a few years.
You can never have too much pitching depth and quality catchers are hard to come by. If the Yankees can get both for their fifth or sixth outfielder, that's a win.
Why the Cardinals benefit from this trade
Domínguez was basically a league-average hitter last season (.719 OPS and 101 OPS+). While those are not flashy numbers, it's easy to forget just how young he is. New York has tried and failed to produce a breakout, but Domínguez is a switch-hitting outfielder with plus-plus speed and easy natural power when he connects. There is still a lot of meat left on the proverbial bone.
The Cardinals can clear a longer runway for Domínguez, allowing him to battle through adversity without fear of demotion, which seems imminent in New York. There is no reason Domínguez can't start every game for St. Louis, with all due respect to Jordan Walker. If he can refine his plate approach and make strides on defense, there's still a world in which Domínguez becomes an All-Star — or at least a foundational thumper in the heart of St. Louis' lineup.
St. Louis has a lot of depth at catcher, with Iván Herrera, Pedro Pagés and Yohel Pozo all on the MLB roster and 24-year-old Jimmy Crooks (their No. 8 prospect) within striking distance. Giving up on Hence is a lot easier to stomach when it entails a gamble with as much upside as Domínguez. Plus, the Cardinals just have a lot of pitchers who take priority over Hence in the pipeline at this point: newcomers Richard Fitts and Brandon Clarke, switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje (the crown jewel of the Brendan Donovan trade), lefties Quinn Mathews and Liam Doyle.
The Cardinals trim some trimmable fat from their increasingly deep prospect pool in exchange for a lottery ticket, essentially. Domínguez has a lot of obvious flaws and is no guarantee to pan out, but it's worth a shot for a team searching for its next cornerstone.