Recent reports indicate that the New York Yankees may opt to start one of their former top prospects, Jasson Dominguez, in Triple-A. This has led to several rumors that the Yankees may offload Dominguez and bring in another player who can have a stronger impact on the current roster.
With the tough news for the Minnesota Twins that Pablo Lopez will be sidelined for the entire 2026 season due to Tommy John Surgery, the speculation that Joe Ryan may be traded has also grown stronger in the past week.
A recent trade idea from FanSided.com proposes five teams that could make a deal for Ryan, and the Yankees are among them.
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Could the Yankees Land Joe Ryan?
The Yankees are dealing with early-season injuries to both Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon, but both All-Star starters are set to return at some point early in the season. However, that doesn’t mean the Yankees can’t make a splash move now to help alleviate the pressure off the rotation.
FanSided’s Christopher Kline proposes that the New York Yankees should make a massive offseason deal that would offload Jasson Dominguez, Luis Gil, and Chase Hampton to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for Joe Ryan:
GettyYankees could make surprising move with Luis Gil.
“The Yankees are still waiting on Gerrit Cole (and Carlos Rodón and Clarke Schmidt). Beyond Max Fried, there isn’t a ton of proven, dependable firepower in the New York rotation right now. Ryan gives them another ace, who alongside Fried and Cole could supplement the AL’s most potent lineup with a dangerous three-headed monster come October.”
This deal would actually make a lot of sense for the Twins, because they could replenish the loss of Ryan by bringing in Luis Gil, and then adding a young outfielder in Jasson Dominguez.
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What Could Joe Ryan Bring to the Bronx?
Joe Ryan would be a great third rotation option for the New York Yankees and would likely give the Yanks the best rotation in MLB when fully healthy.
Ryan enjoyed a true breakout season in 2025, which resulted in his first All-Star appearance.
While the trade that Kline proposes is a lot to give up, if the Yankees’ front office does not trust Dominguez to be in a starting role, the best idea might be to just trade him now while he still holds some value.
As for Luis Gil, he won the AL Rookie of the Year in 2024, but struggled to take the ball in the Yankees’ rotation during the ’25 campaign.
Joe Ryan’s 2025 stats: 4.5 pWAR, 30 starts, 171 innings, 194 strikeouts, 39 BB’s
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Yankees Trade Idea Dumps Jasson Dominguez, Luis Gil for Twins’ All-Star Starter