Reds cannot ignore rare opportunity created by Yankees offseason shakeup

The Cincinnati Reds have been hunting for outfield help all offseason, and for good reason. Their outfield crew finished the 2025 season ranked 18th in fWAR (4.4), 16th in wRC+ (97), and just 24th in isolated power (.145 ISO).

They've done a nice job adding depth to the group this winter, bringing in JJ Bleday via free agency and Dane Myers through a trade with the Miami Marlins. Those two, plus incumbents Noelvi Marte and Will Benson (and Tyler Callihan, when he's fully recovered from his injury) will see the majority of the time of the outfield corners.

It's not difficult to imagine Terry Francona coaxing strong production out of that rotation, but it would also help matters if he had a bigger bat to flank center fielder TJ Friedl with. Though much has been said about the Reds and the Boston Red Sox's outfield logjam, it appears as though another AL East contender could be emerging as the best path toward acquiring another corner outfielder.

Yankees' Jasson Dominguez, Spencer Jones would introduce far more upside into Reds' corner outfield rotation

With Aaron Judge stapled into right field and Giancarlo Stanton penciled in as the New York Yankees' designated hitter, the Bronx Bombers had two clear outfield needs at the onset of the offseason, as well as two top prospects ready to fill them.

Then, Trent Grisham accepted his qualifying offer and Cody Bellinger re-signed on a huge five-year deal, effectively shutting down any hope of Jasson Dominguez or Spencer Jones laying claim to a starting outfield job.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone addressed his team's newfound outfield logjam, suggesting that Bellinger, Grisham, and Judge are the starters and that Dominguez and Jones will need to fight for a roster spot in spring training. Thus, there's a good chance the Bronx Bombers are willing to take calls on one or both players, and the Reds should take advantage of the surplus.

Once both revered Top 100 prospects, the shine has come off Dominguez and Jones recently. The former, nicknamed "The Martian" for his otherworldly talents while playing in the Dominican Republic, hasn't quite lived up to the billing in the major leagues. He hit just .257/.331/.388 (103 wRC+) with a 26.8% strikeout rate last year, all while playing some truly porous defense in left field.

Jones, meanwhile, entered the 2024 season as a consensus top-50 prospect, but strikeouts have proven to be the bane of his existence. Even while slashing .274/.362/.571 (153 wRC+) in the minors in 2025, he punched out more than 35% of the time, which was actually an improvement on the 36.8% strikeout rate he posted in 2024.

So, yes, these are both deeply flawed players. Neither is a sure bet to explode into MLB superstardom. But as under-25 outfielders with years of team control remaining and hugely impressive track records at the highest levels of the minor leagues, their talent is worth betting on, particularly if the Yankees are willing to sell them for pennies on the dollar.

With so many veteran placeholders already in place, the Reds have enough backup plans to afford taking on a boom-or-bust project like Dominguez or Jones in 2026. The risk is concerning, but the reward is something truly great.