MLB insider highlights Yankees' huge asking price for Spencer Jones, says coveted prospect is off-limits to all but Paul Skenes' Pittsburgh

New York Yankees prospect Spencer Jones, one of the hottest hitters in the minor league this year, is expected to be with the team for the long haul after MLB insider Jon Heyman said that the 24-year-old is off-limits.

Ahead of Thursday's trade deadline, The New York Post's Jon Heyman reported that the Yankees will only let go of Spencer Jones to bring in Pittsburgh Pirates flamethrower Paul Skenes. He wrote on X:

"Teams with good/great pieces consistently ask the Yankees about top OF prospect Spencer Jones. The Yankees are consistent on this too: They will only trade Jones (and others in package) for Paul Skenes, who’s not available and not going anywhere."

Jones was selected with the 25th pick in the 2022 draft, and his towering frame with a strong swing has drawn comparison to Yankees captain Aaron Judge. In 70 games across Double and Triple-A this season, Jones is slugging .702 with 29 home runs.

Pirates ace Paul Skenes is one of the most coveted starters in the league, and with his team struggling to keep pace in the playoff race, rumors of a move away from Pittsburgh have intensified over the last few weeks. However, the Pirates are holding on to Skenes despite the Yankees' interest in the NL Cy Young contender.

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Yankees reportedly turned down trade request for Spencer Jones

According to MLB insider Jon Morosi, the Yankees turned down an offer from the Miami Marlins for Spencer Jones. The deal reportedly included starting pitchers Sandy Alcantara or Edward Cabrera.

Despite the uncertainty around the future, the hard-hitting slugger is enjoying his time with the franchise.

"It's a lot of fun this time of year, just for baseball fans in general, right?" Jones told ESPN. "I have friends all over the country that are wanting me to go and play for their team. "But my heart's here with this organization. I've been having a lot of fun being a Yankee so far in my career. And you take everything with a grain of salt. It's part of it, part of the season and I'm excited to see how things go moving forward."

The Yankees added several pieces at the trade deadline, including versatile infielder Jose Caballero from the Tampa Bay Rays during their series finale against the Rays.

Edited by Chaitanya Prakash