The MLB Trade Deadline is just over a month away, and the Yankees are expected to be buyers again. They brought in Jazz Chisholm Jr last year, and he has been key to their success. But they could use another infielder and help in the bullpen. With a seller's market anticipated, it could cost a lot to get a new player. The Athletic's Chris Kirschner has a conspiracy theory about Spencer Jones, the Yankees' number two prospect, and his development path that connects to the deadline.

“[Jones is] a very strange prospect: unbelievable raw numbers, but some alarming flaws right underneath the surface,” Kirschner wrote. “The contact rates are still bad. He’s still striking out at a high clip. And yet, it seems like he’s ready for a promotion.”

The Yankees' beat reporter continued, “This is my conspiracy theory take: Maybe the Yankees want to keep him in Double A a bit longer to show other teams how well he’s performing and then sell high at the deadline. If you move him up now and he struggles at Triple A, maybe his value dips. In short, I would not be stunned if Jones gets moved next month.”

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Jones was drafted in the first round of the 2022 draft out of Vanderbilt. He has played 185 games with AA Somerset with 35 homers, 118 RBIs, and an .831 OPS. He is hitting .272 with a .994 OPS through 46 games this season. But he has not earned the ride up to Scranton, at least according to the Yankees.

If they are not sold on Jones as an MLB outfielder, they should trade him while the value is still high. They have held onto prospects for too long, like Oswald Peraza, and seen them flame out in MLB. Jones could be a solid return for a team with a flame-throwing reliever that the Yankees desperately need.