Compared to the other 29 teams in MLB, the New York Yankees have had a somewhat quiet offseason. There’s still time to change that, though, and in the wake of re-signing Cody Bellinger to a five-year, $162.5 million contract in free agency, it looks like the Yankees have set their sights on adding more outfield help.
While the Yanks have done well to add Bellinger back into the fold, the front office seems to believe that more help is needed at this spot. And with reports linking New York to a pair of intriguing targets, that could spell bad news for one of the team’s talented young outfielders, Jasson Dominguez.
Yankees Linked to Randal Grichuk, Austin Slater
New York will return its entire starting outfield of Bellinger, Aaron Judge, and Trent Grisham in 2026. The depth behind those guys isn’t particularly great, though, and these rumors emerging seem to indicate that the team doesn’t want to head into the new season with Dominguez as its fourth outfielder behind these guys.
After briefly appearing in the majors in 2023 and 2024, Dominguez got his most extensive playing time in 2025. His numbers aren’t awful (.257 BA, 10 HR, 47 RBI, 23 SB, .719 OPS), but they do leave a lot to be desired. While Dominguez is a switch-hitter, he posted significantly better numbers from the left side of the plate last year.
Simply put, Dominguez has not managed to meet expectations early in his career, and while he’s set to turn just 23 years old next week, New York doesn’t exactly have time to wait for him to turn into a star. This team wants to contend for the World Series immediately, and according to reports, that has led them to pursue Randal Grichuk and Austin Slater recently.
“The New York Yankees are searching for a right-handed outfield bat in free agency and the trade market, multiple league sources tell The Athletic,” Brendan Kuty reported. “Veteran outfielder Randal Grichuk is among the many options it’s been considering, sources said … Another league source said the Yankees made a major-league offer earlier this offseason to outfielder Austin Slater.”
What Should the Yankees Do with Jasson Dominguez?
GettyNew York Yankees outfielder Jasson Dominguez during a game.
If the Yanks add another outfielder, that could force them to move on from Dominguez. Again, he’s still young, but the team has other areas of need that could be addressed if it were to potentially trade him. Swinging a deal for a young pitcher could be something that entices the front office enough to move on from the talented outfielder.
New York likely isn’t going to move off of Dominguez until they have to, but his status will certainly bear watching as these rumors begin to heat up. To this point, the Yankees haven’t done much to improve their roster from last year, but that could change in the near future. The 2026 campaign is drawing near, but it feels like the Yanks still have some business to attend to before they return to action for the upcoming season.
Jasson Dominguez Gets Bad News After Yankees Linked to Veteran Outfielders