ORLANDO — There are still 3 ¹/₂ months before Aaron Boone has to write a left fielder on his lineup card for Opening Day against the Giants.
There could be the familiar option in Cody Bellinger. There could be the familiar yet still unknown quantity that is Jasson Domínguez. There could be a real wild card in Spencer Jones. Or, perhaps, there is a right-handed bat out there that Brian Cashman will pull down to throw a twist into the Yankees’ current outfield plans.
All of that represents one of the biggest questions the Yankees are trying to address at the winter meetings this week, and while there may not be a finite resolution by the time they wrap up Wednesday, Boone offered an outlook on each of the Yankees’ options to join Aaron Judge in right field and Trent Grisham in center field:
Cody Bellinger
Boone has not yet gotten involved in the recruiting process for Bellinger, which is not atypical for players the Yankees are trying to re-sign. But after seeing up close the impact Bellinger had on the Yankees in all aspects — at the plate, in the field (particularly with his defensive flexibility), on the bases and from a baseball IQ standpoint — the manager would certainly sign up to bring him back.
“Obviously, what Cody brought to us last year in so many ways, just who he was in the room, his performance between the lines on both sides of the ball, his athleticism, his versatility, who wouldn’t want a player like that?” Boone said. “He’s earned the right now to get to this point of his career of free agency as still a relatively young man. So we’ll see what happens. We’ll see how it shakes out. As far as the player and the person, he’s a good one.”
The problem for the Yankees is that the market for Bellinger is shaping up to be a strong one, not necessarily in quantity but in quality of the teams. His suitors are expected to include the Mets, Blue Jays, Phillies (if they cannot re-sign Kyle Schwarber) and perhaps even his original team, the Dodgers. There may be a limit of just how high the Yankees will go to retain Bellinger, especially if they are trying to keep their payroll in check.
Jasson Domínguez
The former ballyhooed prospect’s first full season in the big leagues ended with him on the bench for most games, squeezed out of an everyday role by the time the Yankees were chasing the division. That was due in large part to Grisham’s emergence as a legitimate bat in center field, moving Bellinger to left, where Domínguez was a liability defensively.
The Yankees had Domínguez play 10 games in the Dominican Winter League to get some more at-bats and reps in left field, but it continues to be a work in progress.
“Overall, real improvement, but there’s still a long ways to go in that improvement,” Boone said. “His athleticism is a real calling card for him, as far as his speed and arm strength and things like that. And you hope that eventually wins the day and eventually gets him to the point where, ‘Wow, he’s getting really good out there.’ He’s still got a lot of development to do in that regard.”
Equally big of a question, if not more, is what Domínguez can provide with his bat. The switch-hitter had stark splits and was much stronger as a left-handed hitter, which doesn’t exactly help the Yankees’ desire to become more balanced and not as left-handed heavy.
Both Boone and GM Brian Cashman believe the 22-year-old still has the potential to be a switch-hitter moving forward, especially since righty is his natural side. But if Bellinger re-signs, Domínguez may become even more of a trade chip, though his value is not what it once was.
Spencer Jones
The boom-or-bust outfield prospect spent the early part of the offseason working out at Yankee Stadium and is expected to arrive in Tampa for a jumpstart on spring training, where he may or may not have a shot to compete with Domínguez for a job, depending on if Bellinger returns.
Scouts are split on exactly what the Yankees have in Jones, the left-handed slugger who has shown the ability to mash but also still strikes out too much. Like Domínguez, he could become trade bait if Bellinger comes back.
“He seems to be in a really good frame of mind, head space,” Boone said. “He handled his business at the minor league level, and now he comes in with probably a more realistic look at — whether it’s to start the season or not, we’ll see — but a more realistic look to where he’s now knocking on the door of the big leagues.”
