Guardians have chance to trade for maligned Yankee after Brian Cashman blunder

For the past six years, Jasson Domínguez has existed in the background of Yankees fandom. 

From the Yankees signing him for a record $5.1 million as an international signing in 2019 to his magical debut where he became the youngest player in Yankees history to hit a home run in his first big league at-bat, any conversation about the Yankees’ future always seemed to go back to Domínguez. 

But that buzz hasn’t led to much big league success for the 23-year-old. While he played in a career-high 123 games last season, he hit just .257 and was a non-factor in the postseason. 

While the Yankees clearly still value him, general manager Brian Cashman made headlines last weekend by saying that “The Martian” may be better served by starting the 2026 season in the minors. 

That has naturally led to some consternation within the Yankees’ fanbase, and also has made it seem like Cashman and Co. could be interested in getting out of the Domínguez business. And if that is the case, the Guardians should step to the front of the line to try to steal Domínguez away. 

Guardians have golden opportunity to get Jasson Domínguez from the Yankees 

At face value, Domínguez has everything the Guardians need in their outfield since he’s a switch-hitter who has the ability to punish any pitch left over the zone.

Normally a 23-year-old with that kind of profile is considered off-limits. But Cashman all but confirmed the Yankees were open for business when Cashman conceded that both he and fellow top prospect Spencer Jones would be better off getting everyday reps in the minors. 

And even if they’re not “open for business,” Cashman saying the quiet part out loud means that he lost a ton of potential leverage in any Domínguez trade talks. 

The Yankees are running it back with an outfield picture of Aaron Judge, Trent Grisham and Cody Bellinger, which means there won’t be a ton of at-bats to go around. 

Meanwhile, Domínguez would jump the line in the Guardians’ outfield picture and would be one of the top outfield options alongside Steven Kwan. 

Yes, Domínguez has his flaws. He’s only gone 22-for-118 against left-handed pitchers in his big league career and was worth -9 Outs Above Average last season. 

But it’s important to remember that he’s only 23 and is younger than all but two players on Cleveland’s 40-man roster. 

Normally a player at his age is working through Triple-A for the first time, but he’s already at a point where he has 149 MLB games under his belt (and likely would have had more had he not missed almost all of the 2024 season with Tommy John). 

Even though it would still likely take a lot of prospect capital to wriggle Domínguez away from the Yankees, he’s never going to be more available than right now. Cashman opened the door for the rest of the baseball world by making his comments about Domínguez; now it’s time for the Guardians to strike.