The season-long Jurickson Profar suspension should force action from the notoriously patient Alex Anthopoulos, but the Atlanta Braves‘ general manager let arguably the best free agent alternative, Andrew McCutchen, sign a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers on Thursday. With the open market lacking options, a trade could make the most sense.
With that in mind, Anthopoulos should try to call Brian Cashman, hoping to pry Jasson Dominguez out of the Bronx. This deal could make that dream a reality.
This Braves-Yankees trade gives Atlanta an ideal Jurickson Profar replacement
Profar was supposed to begin the year as Atlanta’s DH and then play left field on most days once Sean Murphy returns from the IL. Dominguez might not be as good a player as Profar has been the last couple of years (likely thanks to the PEDs), but he’s got immense upside and could fill that Profar role to a tee. He makes a lot of sense as a player the Braves would target, and he’d come with several years of cheap club control.
In the deal, the Braves would send their best left-handed reliever, Dylan Lee, to the New York Yankees, alongside one of their top pitching prospects, Didier Fuentes. While there’s a good chance neither fan base will like this deal, here’s why it could make sense for both sides.
Why the Braves would accept this trade
Dominguez, once considered one of the best prospects in the sport, hasn’t quite lived up to the billing in the Bronx, but can still be a quality player. Yes, defense is an issue, and his inability to hit left-handed pitching is concerning, but Dominguez was a slightly above-average hitter in his first full season as a starter in 2025, is an athletic freak, and is only 23 years old.
Dominguez has a ton of room to grow, and doesn’t even hit arbitration until next offseason. He’s under club control through 2029. It’s rare that you’d see a player of his potential available this soon.
The Braves can start him as their DH to begin the year, and then once Murphy is healthy, re-assess. Perhaps Dominguez can move to left field full-time. Perhaps he needs more seasoning in Triple-A and Mike Yastrzemski can be the left fielder. Ensuring that the likes of Dominic Smith and Eli White don’t play regularly in Profar’s absence is why the Braves need to add a bat. Again, it’s rare to see one as talented as Dominguez be available this time of year.
Parting with Dylan Lee would sting, but relievers are a lot easier to find than outfielders. Even without Lee, the Braves would have one of the best late-game duos in the National League at the back end of their bullpen in Raisel Iglesias and Robert Suarez, and they’d still have Aaron Bummer, a left-handed reliever who has held lefties to a .577 OPS in his career, in the mix to face the likes of Juan Soto and Kyle Schwarber in big spots.
As for Didier Fuentes, it’s never ideal to give up a 20-year-old starting pitcher with upside, but he struggled mightily in his first big league cup of coffee this past season, and he likely sits behind the likes of Bryce Elder, JR Richie and even Jose Suarez on Atlanta’s starting pitching depth chart. Sure, the Braves could use an MLB-ready starter, but Fuentes isn’t that anyway, making him movable.
It’s a lot to give up for a player with a lot to prove, but you have to give to get, and while the Braves’ pitching would take a step back, there’s a chance their offense would take a massive step forward.
Why the Yankees would accept this trade
The fan base that’d probably need more convincing is the Yankees’ fan base, and I don’t exactly blame them. Ever since he was signed to a record-setting bonus as a 16-year-old, Dominguez has been dubbed the next big thing. Giving up on him this soon for Dylan Lee and Didier Fuentes sounds unforgivable, but what other choice do the Yankees have?
The Yankees had a chance this offseason to show the world that they were committed to Dominguez, but they did the opposite. They gave Trent Grisham the Qualifying Offer, a deal he wound up taking, and then went all-out to re-sign Cody Bellinger, filling out their outfield. New York could keep Dominguez on the bench, but doing so is usually counterproductive for young players, and even if they wanted to, Dominguez wouldn’t really have a role, given his struggles against southpaws.
Dominguez has no spot on this Yankees team without an injury. Rather than wait for an injury to arise, why not just trade him now before his value tanks further? This deal might not give them a star in return, but the Yankees would get two useful pieces.
Lee just appeared in a career-high 74 games for Atlanta in 2025, has a career sub-3.00 ERA, and has held both lefties and righties to a sub-.700 OPS in his career. Lee is making just $2.2 million this season, and is under cheap club control through 2028. Tim Hill is New York’s only reliable left-handed reliever option, and the Yankees’ bullpen as a whole lacks depth. He’d help it.
Fuentes would almost certainly not make the Yankees out of spring training, but he’d be yet another exciting pitching prospect to join a farm system full of them. Fuentes can factor into New York’s future plans either as a starter or as a reliever, or perhaps he can be used as trade bait.
This deal sees the Yankees turn a player who doesn’t have a role on the team without injuries and who has several question marks into a consistently reliable reliever under cheap club control and a starting pitching prospect to dream on. It’s not a haul, but it’d help the Yankees win now, which should be their goal.
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