Pirates should know exactly which top prospect to target in trade talks with Yankees

The Pittsburgh Pirates don't have many "untouchable" players as they prepare for a sell off at next week's MLB trade deadline, but center fielder Oneil Cruz may be one of the few... or is he?

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported earlier this week that teams had been reaching out to the Pirates about Cruz ahead of the deadline. While the Pirates will listen to offers, he said a deal is unlikely unless Pittsburgh is "absolutely bowled over by an offer."

A day later, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette doubled down on the assertion that a Cruz trade was unlikely. However, he also noted that the New York Yankees were one of "many teams who have checked in" on the power-hitting center fielder.

It's unclear exactly how serious the Yankees' interest in Cruz is, but they have the ammunition to "bowl over" the Pirates' front office with an offer if they really wanted to – and if that expanded offer included outfield prospect Spencer Jones, the Pirates would be wise to consider it.

Pirates should target top prospect Spencer Jones in trade talks with Yankees

A 6-foot-7 outfielder with tremendous raw power, Jones actually profiles similarly to Cruz. Unfortunately for the Yankees, he also fits nearly the exact same profile as Aaron Judge, which is why his greatest value to them might be as a trade chip.

The Yankees' No. 4 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, Jones sits atop the minor league home run leaderboard with 29 through 68 games this season. He's gone deep 10 times in his past 12 contests and has posted a 1.407 OPS with 13 home runs, 25 RBI and six stolen bases over 19 games since being promoted to Triple-A on June 27.

A former first-round pick out of Vanderbilt in 2022, Jones has reportedly drawn plenty of interest in trade talks, and he could get a clearer path to regular MLB playing time in an organization like the Pirates in desperate need of young bats (or bats of any age, really).

The Yankees' window to contend is also vastly different from the Pirates' (in that they actually have one). With Pittsburgh fully shifting the focus to competing in 2026, Jones could be a better fit for the Pirates' organizational timeline as a 24-year-old without MLB experience.

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