Joel Sherman notes the Yankees have kept tabs on Nationals center fielder Jacob Young. Whether formal talks ever began remains murky, but the Nats did explore moving him as early as January.
Now 27, Young closed his fourth big‑league season having logged 1,477 plate appearances with a .248/.312/.339 slash line and an 82 wRC+. Power isn’t his forte—just 15 homers and a .091 isolated slugging mark—but his speed and glove shine. He’s swiped 79 bases in 104 tries, a 76% success rate that sits near the league average.
Defensively, Young posted +22 DRS and an eye‑popping +49 OAA in center field. That OAA rank sits second among CFs with 1,000+ innings since 2023, trailing only the Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong, who logged +60. In my view, his defensive ceiling outweighs his modest bat.
This season showed a more balanced Young, though his hitting still lags league average. Over 471 PA he posted .252/.318/.390 with a 7.0% walk rate and 16.6% strikeout rate. His 95 wRC+ sits five points shy of average, yet marks his best output yet. Statcast placed his range in the 96th percentile for CFs, while a –3 DRS was softer than prior years but still acceptable.
Young will hit arbitration for the first time in 2027 and remains under team control through 2029, keeping his price modest. The Nats wouldn’t recoup as much as they might from a CJ Abrams or James Wood deal, yet retaining Young remains plausible. The free‑agent pool in center field is thin, with options like TJ Friedl, Trent Grisham, Daulton Varsho, or platoon pieces such as Tyrone Taylor and Lane Thomas.
At a lower cost than any of those names, Young also posted a 115 wRC+ versus lefties, giving him platoon appeal and defensive value. The Yankees could rekindle interest, though they aren’t desperate; they already have Cody Bellinger, Spencer Jones and Aaron Judge slated from left to right next season. Heliot Ramos and Jasson Domínguez sit as a left‑handed power bat and primary depth man. New York extended a qualifying offer to Grisham last year, but they’re likely to let him walk this off‑season.
Ramos arrived as a replacement‑level hitter at the deadline and appeared only once in the Yankees’ five‑game postseason run. Domínguez excelled in Triple‑A but struggled in the majors, and neither offers strong defense. Trading at least one of them would clear a roster spot for Young, and even as a backup he would shore up the outfield while Jones continues to develop.
Several clubs—Astros, Rangers, Reds, Orioles and Blue Jays—could use a center fielder this winter. The Nationals should shop Young around, regardless of genuine trade intent. After a 77‑85 (.475) finish in 2026, Washington will likely treat 2027 as another evaluation year. Could cashing in on Young’s career‑best offense set them up for a deeper contender roster?