Subscribe
Follow Us
The New York Yankees find themselves in a familiar place as July heats up and the 2025 trade deadline approaches.
They're still clear playoff contenders, sitting three games out of the American League East lead and, for now, in control of a Wild Card spot. But it's the fourth year in a row that the team has undone a stellar start with a prolonged stretch of sub-.500 play in the summer months.
So once again, the Yankees need to ask themselves: Are they all-in on making a World Series push this season? Because they're the Yankees, the answer is just about always “yes.” That will mean doing what they can at the trade deadline to support an injury-plagued starting rotation and a bullpen that has blown too many games.
The inclination may be to mortgage the farm and load up for the stretch run, only there are a few problems with that plan. For one, the Yankees don't have much in their farm system. George Lombard Jr. is their only Top 100 prospect per MLB.com, and many of the other prospects near the top of their system are not close to major-league-ready, so their trade value may be low.
And though the Yankees' system isn't strong, it's also not barren, and they have prospects (or a prospect) who can help them this season.
Here are the two prospects the Yankees need to hold on to at the 2025 trade deadline.
George Lombard Jr. is the Yankees' only Top 100 prospect
The Yankees' top prospect has split the season between High-A Hudson Valley, where he tore the cover off the ball, and Double-A Somerset, where he is still finding his stride.
A 20-year-old infielder, Lombard had a .983 OPS in 24 games with the Renegades with 11 stolen bases and a .329 batting average. So far with the Patriots, the speed has translated (14 steals, three triples), but the hitting hasn't (.204 BA, .647 OPS). Thats not a worry yet, however, as he still projects to be an above-average hitter.
“If we’re doing a 20/80 scale, it’s a 60 bat for Lombard,” one scout told NJ.com earlier this month. “This guy has a quick swing; he has bat speed, and he’s strong. He’ll hit .260 and above. He’ll be a 20-plus homer guy.
“Defensively, I don’t know if he’ll win Gold Gloves, but he’ll be a plus defender.”
He also called Lombard “the closest thing to untouchable” that the Yankees have in their system, believing he is the team's shortstop of the future while current shortstop Anthony Volpe is better suited at second base.
Spencer Jones can help New York this season
Spencer Jones' standing as a prospect has fallen a bit over the last year-plus, but it's tough to argue with results, and he's having the best offensive season of his pro career in 2025. Between Double-A and Triple-A, which the Yankees promoted him to at the beginning of the month, he is hitting .290 with 20 home runs and a 1.032 OPS in 57 games.
Yes, it's a small sample size, but in eight games with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Jones is hitting .375 with four home runs and three doubles.
While the Yankees don't need to fast-track him to the major leagues with Aaron Judge, Trent Grisham, Jasson Dominguez and Cody Bellinger all producing in the outfield, Jones has the potential to add more pop to the Yankees' lineup.
He can also slide into an outfield spot if the Yankees move Grisham at the deadline. He's a free agent at the end of the year and is having — by far — the best offensive season of his career so far.
Though Dominguez projects as the better hitter long term, Jones is the better centerfield prospect, per MLB.com. The Yankees should hold on to him, see what he can produce this season if needed, and have an elite offensive outfield locked in for years to come.
