NY Yankees Were Willing To Trade One of 2 Top Prospects for This ONE Player

Spencer Jones, NY Yankees prospect, after a HR in spring training

The New York Yankees refused to include top prospects George Lombard Jr. or Spencer Jones in any trade talks at the deadline. With one exception. One player there were willing to put them on the table for, according to insider Jon Heyman, was top Cy Young favorite Paul Skenes.

Trouble is, the Pittsburgh Pirates had no intention of trading their young star pitcher, even though his name was being floated in rumors.

The Yankees were one of only a handful of teams (fewer than five) that checked in on Paul Skenes even after word was that the Pirates had no intention of treating him. That was the one case where the Yankees were willing to discuss Spencer Jones and George Lombard Jr.

The 24-year-old Jones, their No. 2 prospect, has put up a monstrous minor league season. He has 33 home runs, 73 RBIs and 95 runs in just 108 games, split between Double-A and Triple-A. He has an overall .925 OPS.

The shortstop Lombard Jr., the club's No. 1 prospect, is still only 20, and started the season on fire at A-Ball, with a .983 OPS. He's struggled since an elevation to Double-A, but is still looked at as a fixture on the left side of their infield for the future.

As for Skenes, the first overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, he is far and away the leader for Cy Young in the NL this season, posting ridiculous numbers in his sophomore year. He has a major league best 1.92 ERA and a 224 ERA+. His 203 strikeouts and 0.92 WHIP are tops in the National League. He also owns a 203:39 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 178 innings.

Still only 23, clearly, Skenes is a better bet than any prospect in the minors, no matter how highly-ranked. The Yankees should understand that as well as any team, as they've watched their former No. 1 prospect coming into the season, Jasson Dominguez, struggle all year. He has even become a trade candidate for this offseason.