Yankees Get Bad News on MLB Trade Stock of Record-Breaking Prospect
The arrival of “The Martian” in New York is finally here, after years of hype. Six years of hype, to be exact. The Yankees have been grooming the player whose other-worldly skills earned him the nickname El Marciano, or The Martian–outfielder Jasson Dominguez–for six years now. The Bombers signed him as a 16-year-old in 2019, when the team used a record $5.1 million of its bonus money (out of $5.4 million) to get Dominguez to sign. But the early returns on Dominguez have been iffy. He slogged through an injury-dinged 2023, when he rose from Double-A Somerset to brief stints in Triple-A and into the majors, where he hit .258 with four homers in eight games in September before suffering an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery. Last year, he struggled with injury as he came back after the surgery, but hit well in the minors, with a .314 average and an .880 OPS. That led fans to call for Dominguez to be brought up to the Yankees to replace Alex Verdugo, but Domginuez batted just .179 in 18 big-league games. This spring, he is batting only .229 with 10 strikeouts in 35 at-bats. Worse, he has shown signs of being a disaster with the glove in left field.
In assessing the Yankees’ potential trade pieces as they deal with several big holes in the roster, the Post’s MLB insider Jon Heyman noted that New York does not want to trade Dominguez–which is fine for most teams, because, Heyman reports, his stock is dropping fast. “The Yankees wouldn’t even talk about Jasson Domínguez in (Juan) Soto talks with San Diego, and while Domínguez’s stock may be down after his rough spring in left field followed his rough late-season call-up, the Padres aren’t believed that enamored, anyway,” Heyman wrote. That’s a rough assessment for the player ranked as the team’s top prospect — especially when the need for a trade is quickly increasing.
Yankees slugger’s $325 million contract one of the worst contracts in MLB
Considering they booed him on Opening Day of his first season in pinstripes, the news will come as no surprise to fans of the New York Yankees that Giancarlo Stanton’s contract is an albatross.
After he was one of their best offensive players in the 2024 World Series, however, those feelings may have softened a bit.
Still, according to Bleacher Reports’ Joel Reuter, Stanton’s contract is the seventh worst in baseball.
“His strong playoff performance and the fact that the Marlins are on the hook for roughly 25 percent of his remaining salary keeps him from ranking any higher, “Reuter wrote. “But it’s unlikely he will live up to his salary over the remaining three seasons of his 13-year, $325 million megadeal.”
Stanton still has three years left on the 13-year deal he signed with the Miami Marlins. The Yankees took over the deal in 2018 with Marlins picking up about a quarter of the money. He will be paid $32 million in 2025.
Now 35 years old, Stanton is limited by age and the toll the game has taken on his 6-foot-6, 245-pound body. In seven seasons as a Yankee, Stanton has hit 162 home runs and slashed .241/.323/.483.
He did not play in the outfield at all in 2024 and his need to be in the designated hitter role limits the flexibility that manager Aaron Boone has with his lineup.
