SSTN Mailbag: A Trade Proposal, Dominguez, and 2026 Prospect Breakouts!

I am incredibly lucky. As many of you have likely surmised, I lead a somewhat hectic lifestyle that doesn't leave a ton of time for reflection or overt appreciation. For the first time in a very long time, I was actually relatively settled heading into the holidays. Yesterday, for all the holidays are meant to be an opportunity to slow down, was almost as hectic as my most hectic days. 2 houses, half a dozen kids under the age of 5, cooking dinner and entertaining 23 adults, all while trying to maintain some semblance of organization.

And you know what? It was fantastic. Spending real time with family, friends, and watching my daughter's look of wonder on Christmas morning are worth any amount of running around. It also made me reflect on a lot. I have an army of family and friends in my life. Not to say that I take that for granted, but wow is that special. All 4 of my kid's grandparents live within 5 blocks of us, and are an integral part of her upbringing. Not many people are as lucky as I am, and I finally got to reflect on that yesterday.

The other piece of this puzzle is this site. I was sitting up with my wife last night talking about all of the people I've met and know both in person and through our computer screens (though I feel as though we've known each other for close to a decade). The community here isn't typical of other fan communities anymore, and we are so lucky to exist the way we do. Thank you for continuing to read the things I and others write about the Yankees, baseball, and whatever other musings come to our brains. I remain utterly floored that people care about what I have to say about baseball, so thank you. I hope all of you have had a wonderful holiday season, whatever you celebrate.

As always, thanks for the great questions and keep them coming to SSTNReadermail@gmail.com. In this week's SSTN Mailbag, we'll talk about a trade target, Jasson Dominguez, and highlight potential breakout prospects from the 2025 Draft! Let's get at it:

Fuster asks: my name is Konnor Griffin

look at me

can I be

centerfield

for the NY Yankees?

and what would the Pirates need to be offered?

If you asked me to rank all of the prospects in all of baseball (which I am certainly not qualified to do, since I just don't have the capacity to evaluate every system the way I do the Yankees), Konnor Griffin would be on the short list for the best prospect in all of baseball. He's shown far more hit tool than I think anyone expected as a 19 year old, using his feel for contact and plan at the plate to rise all the way to AA last season. There's plenty of room for his body to continue to fill out, and his already plus power should gain even another grade at maturity. There is some batted ball luck in his profile last year, and I worry that he still has some holes in his swing when he gets pull-happy, but he can handle velocity and has shown that he can adjust to better stuff as he climbs the minor league ladder. I'm not sure he's a shortstop long-term, and the Pirates have already allowed him to dabble in CF, a position where I'm more comfortable projecting his defense, as his hands aren't exceptional on the infield. Griffin's plus-plus speed should allow him to have excellent range in CF as long as his routes improve with more reps.

In short, Griffin is an absolute stud, multiple orders of magnitude more impressive than the Yankees' best fielding prospects, Spencer Jones and George Lombard Jr. In a vacuum, I don't honestly think there's a trade for Griffin that would make sense for the Pirates. However, we could probably look at one that makes sense from a straight value perspective.

It starts with multiple MLB or near-MLB ready pieces. I don't see any scenario where two of Schlittler, Dominguez, and Jones aren't at the top of a list as a return. Secondary pieces would still be prospects in the top-5 of the Yankee system. I would expect two of Lagrange, Hess, and Cunningham to be included. So, 4 out of that group of 6, plus a low-level lottery ticket to round out the package.

I love Griffin, but this doesn't make sense for a team that needs to load up to win with the Judge-led Yankees in their twilight. I also would guess that someone else could beat the Yankees' package.

Mike G. asks: How do you feel about Jasson Dominguez? I think the Yankees are looking at any way they can to keep him from being an everyday player for them and he didn't hit at all in winter ball. Is the Martian a lost cause?

No, The Martian is not a lost cause. People forget how raw he remains for a guy that seems to have been around for forever. Dominguez lost a ton of development time to the lost Covid season and Tommy John Surgery as he made his initial ascent to the Majors. He has about as many professional right-handed at-bats as the average ballplayer just getting to AA. Coming into last year, Oswaldo Cabrera had more career professional innings in LF than Dominguez. If we define Dominguez by the ways in which he struggled last year as a young, growing player last year, I think we undermine the potential that still exists.

Dominguez hit .274/.348/.420, with a .768 OPS when batting left-handed last year. Cody Bellinger, who the Yankees are treating like a Juan Soto-caliber free agent this offseason, hit .244/.304/.437, with a .741 OPS against right-handed pitching last season. Dominguez was a rookie...do we really think the above line represents the best Dominguez can do as a left-handed batter? Yes, Bellinger was a much better defender in LF, but Dominguez went from horrific in LF to just below-average defensively by the end of the year. Can he become average with more work? I think so. Dominguez is also a far superior baserunner, likely the best baserunner the Yankees have.

In short, there is so much more to Dominguez's game, and he's still growing. Yes, he needs more reps against left-handed pitching to even approach average as a right-handed batter, but I think he can do it. In short order, I project Dominguez to be a better player than Bellinger. The Yankees are chasing fool's gold this offseason.

Alan B. asks: Andy: We saw 5 or 6 guys from the 2024 draft class breakout last year, well Andy the Great, who are your 3 or 4 guys to watch out for in 2026 from the 2025 Class?

The easiest one here is Dax Kilby, the Yankees first pick last year. Many were surprised he dropped, and he performed very well upon hitting organized ball last year. He looks like a real SS for now who has a real feel to hit and might grow into significant power. I don't think he's dissimilar from George Lombard, though I think Kilby has better bat control.

Pico Kohn is a left-handed pitcher with a really tricky delivery that the Yankees drafted with their 3rd pick in the draft. He throws in the low 90s with a wicked sweeper and emerging change-up. He hides the ball incredibly well and is just begging for a team like the Yankees to help him develop his pitches a bit better. He might take off as a pitchability over pure stuff guy this year, despite middling college numbers.

A bit further down, I'm interested in the Yankees' 8th round pick, Mac Heuer. His numbers don't jump at all, but he is a huge body who is an absolute pit bull on the mound. He throws in the upper 90s with a decent breaking ball, but with poor control and not enough stuff to start. I watch him pitch and I see an impact reliever with some pitch design and delivery work. As a bullpen arm, Heuer might hit 100 MPH and be a weapon.

I have far more faith that the Yankees can develop pitchers, hence my interest in Heuer and Kohn. Kilby might be the real deal, but I want to see how he does with an extended look in professional ball.