Pirates fans watching Yankees closely after promoted top prospect’s link to Paul Skenes

The New York Yankees made a roster move on Thursday that's going to make a lot of Pittsburgh Pirates fans think back to one very specific moment from last summer — and probably shake their heads all over again.

Because when the Yankees promoted outfield prospect Spencer Jones following Jasson Domínguez landing on the injured list, it served as a reminder of just how untouchable New York once viewed him. More specifically, it was a reminder of how aggressively the Yankees reportedly tried to connect him to conversations involving Paul Skenes at the 2025 trade deadline.

Pirates fans certainly haven’t forgotten.

At the time, reports indicated the Yankees rejected multiple inquiries involving Jones unless the discussion centered around truly elite talent — namely Skenes, who was never realistically available. Even in a seller’s market, it came across as an astonishing valuation for a prospect with glaring flaws in his profile.

Now Jones is finally getting his chance in the majors, and the timing is fascinating.

Pirates fans will be keeping a close eye on Spencer Jones after Yankees-Paul Skenes rumors at 2025 trade deadline

The tools have never been the issue for Jones. At 6-foot-6 with enormous raw power, athleticism and speed, he looks like a prototype modern outfielder. He mashed 35 homers in the minors last year and already has 11 more this season. The upside is obvious.

But so are the strikeouts.

Jones struck out in 35.4% of his plate appearances across Double-A and Triple-A last season and is still sitting above 32% this year. That’s bordering on historically difficult to overcome at the major-league level, and it's why the Pirates angle remains so interesting.

When teams discuss players like Skenes, the conversation starts with franchise-altering talent. Jones, meanwhile, remains almost entirely projection-based.

That doesn’t mean he can’t succeed. Baseball has changed enough that high-strikeout sluggers can still become productive players if the power output is overwhelming enough. Jones has already shown he can punish Triple-A pitching despite the swing-and-miss concerns, and the Yankees deserve credit for believing in his upside.

But there’s still a massive difference between believing in a prospect and valuing him like the centerpiece of a Paul Skenes conversation. That’s why Pirates fans will be watching this closely over the next few weeks.

If Jones struggles against major-league pitching, those old trade deadline rumors are only going to look more absurd in hindsight. And if he thrives immediately in the Bronx? Yankees fans may argue the organization was justified in holding onto him all along.

Either way, the promotion reopened a conversation Pittsburgh fans never really let go of.

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