Heyman believes Yankees would be willing to part with Spencer Jones for Tarik Skubal, but not Garrett Crochet

The New York Yankees determined Spencer Jones wasn’t worth parting with for Dylan Cease. We might soon find out if they feel the same way about Garrett Crochet.

Despite a rough summer thus far, the Yankees sit atop the wild card standings and are just two games behind the Orioles for first in the American League. Even if they don’t make a huge splash, they’ll all but certainly buy.

If they want to make a splashy move though, doing business with the White Sox likely is the best avenue to do so. Chicago has incentive to have a firesale at the deadline, and both Crochet and outfielder Luis Robert Jr. would be the top prizes.

If the Yankees have their sights set on Crochet, then there's a strong possibility the White Sox are going to want outfield prospect Spencer Jones going the other way in the deal. That might be a non-starter in talks for Crochet, Audacy MLB insider Jon Heyman said Monday on the Mully & Haugh Show.

“Do I believe that the Yankees are willing to trade Spencer Jones for Crochet? No, I do not believe that,” Heyman said . “They were not willing to do it with Cease, they are not going to be willing to do it for Crochet, who is in a fairly similar situation – he’s got a little bit more time to go, but not that much.

“Although Spencer Jones is not having a great year, maybe his stock is down a little bit, I think they agree with me that they should trade him if they can get Skubal, but nobody else. I don’t think they will trade him for Crochet.”

The Yankees spent big for one year of Juan Soto, so they’re in a little deep right now, which could prompt Brian Cashman to get uncomfortable and make a move that doubles down on their belief in this season. In such a case, pushing the chips in for Crochet makes a ton of sense for a pitching-needy Yankees team.

Crochet has proven this season that he can hack it as, at the minimum, a mid-rotation arm for a contender with a dominant arsenal. But he also has pitched in relief in the past, and could be a multi-inning reliever like Michael King was, or even pitch in high leverage. His 107.1 innings so far this season already have far exceeded what he’s thrown any previous year professionally or in college, so an innings limit in some capacity is likely on his next team.

Getting Skubal would be an even bigger move than Crochet, and there would be no uncertainty about what his role would be on the Yankees. That said, a Skubal trade hardly seems like a guarantee, certainly compared to the possibility of a Crochet deal, so New York would have to blow the Tigers out of the water to get them to budge on Skubal.

Jones, a 2022 first-round pick, is having a down season with a .238 batting average and .716 OPS in 76 games for Double-A Somerset. The 6-foot-6, lefty hitting and throwing outfielder projects to be a power-hitting middle of the order mainstay, and he boasts tantalizing athleticism for someone his size. He's the Yankees No. 2 prospect behind Jasson Dominguez, and can play all three outfield positions.