Perhaps Yankees fans aren’t sold on the idea of ‘running it back’ with Cody Bellinger and the exact same offense of last season, but it’s important to point out that the unit was the best in baseball by a comfortable margin. It’s fair to wonder, however, what’s going to happen with Jasson Dominguez: is he trade bait now? The Yanks also claimed a former top prospect through waivers. Let’s examine today’s news!
Why the Yankees “running it back” is actually a masterstroke for 2026
The panic around the Yankees’ quiet offseason ignores the most important fact on the board: this was the best offense in baseball a year ago. A brutal ALDS loss warped the perception, but over six months the lineup consistently overwhelmed opponents, creating a massive gap between New York and the rest of the league.
That kind of production doesn’t evaporate overnight, and tearing it down because of one October stumble would be reactionary, not smart.
What looks like stagnation is really continuity plus internal growth. A full season of Ryan McMahon stabilizes third base, while young talent like Domínguez and Spencer Jones adds upside and flexibility. The real concern is pitching health, not offense. If the rotation gets even modestly healthy — and if the front office adds one more reliable arm — the Yankees still project as a high-floor contender built around elite run production.
Did the Yankees just make Jasson Dominguez prime trade bait?
Bellinger’s five-year deal solves one problem and creates another. With Judge, Grisham, and Bellinger locked into the outfield, the Yankees now face a numbers crunch that puts Jasson Domínguez in an uncomfortable spot. Once viewed as untouchable, Domínguez now looks more like a mismatched piece on a roster that needs pitching far more than another left-handed bat.
Performance and fit both raise red flags. His platoon struggles against lefties and poor defensive metrics make him hard to justify as a regular, especially on a team prioritizing run prevention. Meanwhile, Spencer Jones fits the Stadium profile better and offers superior defense. With rotation upgrades looming as the front office’s next move, Domínguez may be most valuable not in the lineup, but as the centerpiece of a trade for pitching help.
Yankees claim former top prospect Marco Luciano off of waivers
The Yankees made a low-risk roster move by claiming infielder Marco Luciano off waivers from the Orioles, taking a flyer on a former top-100 prospect whose career has stalled. Luciano, now 24, still flashes right-handed power — he hit 23 homers in Triple-A last season — but persistent contact issues have kept his production in check. His strikeout rate north of 30 percent and modest overall line highlight the same offensive concerns that followed him through the Giants’ system.
Once viewed as San Francisco’s shortstop of the future, Luciano has struggled to translate tools into results at the major-league level. Small samples in both 2023 and 2024 reinforced doubts, as high strikeout totals and limited on-base ability dragged down his value despite competent defense. Across 41 big-league games, his offensive output has been well below league average, leaving him without a clear path to regular playing time.
For New York, the appeal is mostly about depth and upside. Luciano can handle shortstop, a position where the Yankees lack certainty, and his age still leaves room for theoretical growth. That said, he joins the 40-man roster with no guarantee of staying there long, especially with other moves looming. This looks more like a speculative claim than a long-term solution — a chance to see if anything can be unlocked before the roster math catches up.
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