Is Spencer Jones the next Aaron Judge?
That may be a stretch, but the Yankees are betting big that their center field prospect will fulfill star potential.
Jones, 22, was not only an early Padres target in Juan Soto trade talks, he was believed to be the key prospect requested in discussions for ace pitchers Corbin Burnes (who went to the rival Orioles) and Dylan Cease (who’s still a White Sox).
The Yankees got Soto anyway, thanks to a deep stash of big-league ready starting pitchers, but despite a renewed need for another starter following the Soto deal, they continued to decline Jones requests.
Like Judge, the lefty-hitting Jones has big tools and stature (6-foot-6, 235 pounds). He had 16 home runs and 43 stolen bases for High-A Hudson Valley and Double-A Somerset in 2023, and scouts see a future 30-30 guy for the 2022 No. 25-overall pick out of Vanderbilt who’s just been invited to MLB camp.
One scout’s assessment: “Doesn’t have Judge power but does have good power and a plus arm, and is a 70 runner (on 20-80 scale, aka elite) who can play CF.”
One rival puts him in this category if you seek high ceiling/impact: “Can’t ignore.”
For Burnes, the Brewers instead received left-hander DL Hall, who they see as a potential No. 2 or 3 starter; Joey Ortiz, a shortstop blocked in Baltimore by AL Rookie of the Year Gunnar Henderson; and MLB’s No. 1 prospect Jackson Holliday, and the 24th pick in the 2022 draft. Though it seems odd the Brewers used the money saved on Burnes ($15.6 million) to sign Jakob Junis ($7M) and Gary Sanchez ($7M) instead, Brewers analytic models apparently suggest this may work better.
They aren’t giving up on 2024, and rival clubs say they’d be surprised if their other star free-agents-to-be — closer Devin Williams and shortstop Willy Adames — are traded anytime soon.
With Cease having two years before free agency, it’s no wonder the Sox expect a serious return. The White Sox are now seen as greater than 50-50 now to hold onto Cease into the season.
The White Sox did do well to get seven players and a draft choice for relievers Gregory Santos and Aaron Bummer.