Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell announced yesterday that Seiya Suzuki has been diagnosed with a minor PCL strain, and he will be further evaluated in the final week before MLB Opening Day. Suzuki appeared to have injured his right knee when attempting to steal a base in the first inning of Team Japan’s WBC quarterfinal match.
The initial diagnosis is somewhat positive news for the Cubs, but the speculation that he could miss time opens the door for trade speculation as well, and FanSided’s Mark Powell is now urging the Cubs to trade for New York Yankees outfielder Jasson Dominguez.
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Should the Cubs Trade for Jasson Dominguez?
GettyJasson Dominguez gets harsh comment on future with Yankees.
According to Powell, a trade for Jasson Dominguez makes sense right now due to the Cubs’ need for an outfielder and the fact that Dominguez might come at a relatively low price considering he’s set to start the season in Triple-A.
Here is the full hypothetical trade by Powell:
Cubs receive: Jasson Dominguez, New York Yankees receive: OF, Josiah Hartshorn, RHP, Brandon Birdsell
With Seiya Suzuki set to become a free agent after the season’s end, it makes partial sense to offload Suzuki now, because if he does post another monster offensive season, Chicago will at least have a replacement option in Dominguez, who is still just 23 years old.
There are shaky aspects of Dominguez’s game, like his defense and ability to drive the ball against left-handed pitching. Still, Dominguez comes with several years of team control and has also recorded fewer than 1,000 at-bats in his career. The 1,000 MLB AB mark is usually when you can really judge a player’s ability to hit at the big-league level.
Dominguez isn’t there yet, but with New York already having a strong outfield, that leaves Dominguez on the outside looking in.
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Will Jasson Dominguez Get Traded?
It seems like, as of now, the Yankees’ plan for Jasson Dominguez is to get him as many at-bats as possible in the minor leagues to start the season before he’s eventually brought back up.
There’s no doubt that he will be called upon at some point this season, but the situation and timing are unclear.
So, while the speculation continues to grow, urging the Yankees to trade him, which isn’t a far-fetched idea, New York would also like to hold onto its former top prospect, because it would be even more alarming for the Yankees if they trade Dominguez somewhere and he thrives in another organization.
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