YANKEES HAVE A CHANGE OF HEART ABOUT SPENCER JONES - BUT IS IT TOO LATE?

This is going to be a trade deadline unlike any other in recent history. It's not going to be easy for any team to upgrade their roster. Why? It all comes down to supply and demand and the Yankees may not have enough chips to play the game this time.

Realistically, there are only five teams that have zero playoff contention right now. Only the Los Angeles Angels, Oakland A's, Chicago White Sox, Colorado White Sox and the Miami Marlins are out of the hunt, so that means lots of demand to improve rosters before July 30th but very little supply. That's not a good scenario for 25 other teams.

This is NOT a good scenario for teams looking to upgrade their rosters. The Yankees know they haven't been in this scenario for a while, so to be competitive they are changing their mind about Spencer Jones, read more HERE. He's been virtually untouchable until now as it should be. I've been saying the Yankees need to be ready to move Jones for the right pieces since before the season started, but I was more committed to this idea last week when we wrote IF THE YANKEES WANT TO "WIN NOW", THEN TRADE JONES AT THE RIGHT PRICE! Reality is, any trade with the Yankees starts with Jones.

So IF the Yankees are going to get a meaningful piece that improves this team the Yankees not only need to give away Jones, but others.....and that could be the hard part. The Yankees already gave up a lot over the winter just to get Juan Soto so the Yankees are in a disadvantage when it comes to other desirable pieces when you compare them to other teams, even division rivals.

I'm not gonna lie, I have been watching Tarik Skubal a lot, and could see him in pinstripes but so do many other teams. I'd be surprised if the Tigers decided to move him. They've said they would have to be completely overwhelmed to do it and it makes sense. Rumor has it, the Baltimore Orioles are very interested and are prepared to open their prospect pool to get him. Their prospect pool is definitely a lot deeper than the Yankees and they proved they weren't afraid to tap into it when they traded for Corbin Burnes. 

This trade deadline is going to look different. I think the Yankees waited too long to come to the realization that Jones isn't untouchable. The more he struggles in Double-A, the less he will bring back in a trade.

 There's not a lot out there to buy....and what is for sale is going to come at a premium. Trades will be very expensive this year folks.....buckle up.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj