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The New York Yankees wouldn’t trade two key players in a potential deal for ace starting pitcher Garrett Crochet.
The Yankees were involved in trade discussions with the Chicago White Sox for Crochet. But, the team ended up signing Max Fried to an eight-year $218 million deal.
Part of the reason why the Yankees pivoted from Crochet to Fried is due to what the White Sox wanted from New York, according to MLB insider Jon Heyman.
“The Yankees failed to land star left-hander Garrett Crochet because they wouldn’t part with both Jasson Dominguez and George Lombard Jr,” Heyman wrote. “The Yankees made offers but ‘never got close.'”
Dominguez is the Yankees’ top prospect, according to MLB.com, and could be a viable replacement for Juan Soto in the outfield. Dominguez appeared in 18 games for New York last season hitting .179 with 2 home runs and 4 RBIs.
Lombard Jr., meanwhile, is the Yankees’ third-ranked prospect. The infielder was New York’s first-round pick in the 2023 MLB draft. The 19-year-old made it to A+ in 2024.
With the Yankees not wanting to include those two prospects, the White Sox dealt Crochet to division rival Boston Red Sox. In return, Chicago got Kyle Teel (No. 25 overall prospect), Braden Montgomery (No. 54 overall), Chase Meidroth (BOS No. 11 prospect), and Wikelman Gonzalez (BOS No. 14 prospect).
Crochet went 6-12 with a 3.58 ERA in 32 starts for the White Sox last season.
Dominguez Could be a Key Part of Yankees in 2025
With Soto signing with the New York Mets, the Yankees could turn to Dominguez to start in the outfield in 2025.
New York plans to move Aaron Judge back to right field and could start Dominguez in center field, according to GM Brian Cashman.
“It makes sense,” Cashman said. “We’re not afraid to run him out in center like we’ve done but it makes sense to have him over in right because it gives a lane for Jasson that we obviously believe there’s a very high ceiling now and he’s healthy.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone also said Dominguez has a chance to be the team’s Opening Day center fielder.
“I don’t know what our roster is,” Boone said. “I would say it’s not complete yet. He certainly put himself in a position to be in consideration for anything. You look at it right now, and he’s probably in there. Again, I love the person and what I believe he can be as a player, but he’s also very young and very inexperienced to this point. So we’ll see how it all shakes out.”
Dominguez signed with the Yankees as an international free agent in 2019.
New York Signs Fried
The Yankees did bolster its rotation with the signing of Fried.
Fried has spent his entire MLB career with the Atlanta Braves but signed an eight-year deal with the Yankees.
In 2024, Fried went 11-10 with a 3.25 ERA in 29 starts. In his career, Fried is 73-36 with a 3.07 ERA.
The soon-to-be 31-year-old bolsters a Yankees rotation that already features Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Nestor Cortes, Luis Gil, Clarke Schmidt, and Marcus Stroman. However, New York is likely to move a starting pitcher due to the depth of their rotation.
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Insider: Yankees Wouldn’t Trade 2 Players in Potential Blockbuster For Crochet