Right now the Yankees have a bit of a logjam in the outfield as the team re-signed Cody Bellinger to play left field and pushed Jasson Dominguez to the bench.
The Reds, who made the postseason last year with just 84 wins, would like to make it back to October for the first time in consecutive years since 2012-2013.
Cincinnati needs offense, New York needs pitching, and both of these sides seem to have a surplus of both that they can provide to make a trade.
It’s also funny that the big-bad Yankees and notoriously cheap Reds would say that they’re not looking to spend real financial capital to address either of those things, which leads them both to the trade market.
With that all in mind, here’s a fun swap I put toegther that I think makes both teams better given their current weaknesses and needs.
READ MORE: Yankees claim defensive specialist Michael Siani from Dodgers to compete in spring training
The One-For-One Swap That Makes Sense For the Yankees and Reds
The Cincinnati Reds need outfield support given their lack of serious options out there, as Jasson Dominguez would have been one of their best offensive players last season.
He would have been fifth in Offensive Runs according to FanGraphs on that ballclub during the 2025 season and his swing might make a lot of sense for that spacious ballpark since he does spray the ball a good bit.
JJ Bleday, Noelvi Marte, and TJ Friedl are their current outfielders, Jasson Dominguez could probably outperform two or three of these guys over the course of a full season in 2026.
I don’t think it’s to the extent where the Reds could be enticed to trade Nick Lodolo, who does have some injury risk but is coming off of an excellent 2025 campaign.
Starters are going for a King’s Ransom, and the Yankees shouldn’t expect to find a Game 2 starter in the trade market, but they might be able to find a late-inning high-leverage option who fits the staff perfectly.
Graham Ashcraft might have a career 4.76 ERA and 4.40 FIP, but you don’t read my articles because I read off career statlines but rather because I try to project future outcomes with publicly available information.
The right-hander is entering his age-28 season and has three more years of control, and last season he posted a 3.99 ERA, 2.72 FIP, and 3.29 xFIP as a reliever for the Reds.
His 56% GB% and 0.28 HR/8 are a result of his 97 MPH cutter which shatters bats and keeps hitters from barreling him up consistently.
Cincinnati made an excellent decision moving him out of their rotation as this allowed him to be a two-pitch guy and up his fastball-slider velocity by a considerable margin.
That slider he throws gets 10 inches of sweep at 90 MPH which is why batters hit just .197 against it with a .274 SLG%, as this is one of the nastiest pitchers in the league.
The Yankees need more velocity and upper-echelon stuff in their bullpen, Ashcraft provides that and gives them the 8th inning option they need to make this group dominant.
Slotting him in-between David Bednar and Camilo Doval gives you more security in those final innings and you feel a lot better about how this roster looks going into 2026.
Replacing Jasson Dominguez with someone like Austin Hays for the bench would give this team a better bench for this lineup’s direct flaws (offense vs LHP).
We already know what the Yankees think of the switch-hitting former top prospect; they paid $55 million to Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham for 2026 to start over him when they did not have to.
Right now the Reds need offense and the Yankees need pitching in their bullpen; I think this works for both sides as a clean and easy trade.
More about: New York Yankees
