Many recent articles have suggested that the New York Yankees have decided not to trade top prospect George Lombard Jr. at the 2025 MLB trade deadline. However, while fans have widely embraced the claim, no official statement or confirmed source from GM Brian Cashman supports it.
The only people publicly describing Lombard as “untouchable” are anonymous scouts and speculative analysts, not the Yankees themselves.
Several pieces, including opinion columns from various outlets, including The Athletic, NorthJersey.com, FanSided, and Clutch Points, have suggested that the Yankees have clarified that Lombardi Jr. won’t be moved. One recent headline even claimed the team had decided on his trade status.
But when you look closely, that “decision” is more projection than fact.
A Misunderstood Quote, Not a Yankees Front Office Declaration
Much of the buzz stems from The Athletic’s July 10 mailbag, where Brendan Kuty wrote: “They’re not going to trade George Lombard Jr.”
Writers and analysts have since repeated, reframed, and elevated that wording into gospel. But Kuty’s statement, like FanSided’s own take on Lombard’s value, was an interpretation. It is not a quote from Brian Cashman, a front office leak, or a formal declaration.
Yet some coverage has treated it as a settled truth. In reality, it’s a consensus opinion—albeit a strong one—but not an organizational guarantee. As the trade deadline approaches, the gap between prospects the Yankees expect to keep and those who will stay grows significant.
New York has already released DJ LeMahieu, cycled through internal options at third base, and made minor league signings like Jeimer Candelario and Nicky Lopez. None have stuck. If the Yankees want a real upgrade at third—say, Nolan Arenado, Eugenio Suárez, Ryan McMahon, or Ke’Bryan Hayes—they must beat out deeper farm systems.
MLB Pipeline ranked the Yankees’ system 24th in the league. They have a few high-end names, but little depth. Lombard Jr., Spencer Jones, and Ben Hess might be their only real chips if they want to swing big.
In that context, how “untouchable” is anyone?
The Volpe Dilemma: Can Two Shortstops Be the Future?
FanSided’s case for protecting Lombard includes a scenario in which he overtakes Anthony Volpe as the shortstop of the future. That’s an interesting idea—and not one without merit. But the way the Yankees have handled Volpe doesn’t support that idea.
He’s not just a starter. He’s been marketed as the next Derek Jeter. Volpe has also already played 250+ MLB games, won a Gold Glove, and been part of the team’s branding and youth movement. Even if Lombard is the better defender, are the Yankees realistically pushing Volpe to another position?
If not, then the Yankees may view Lombard as depth—a luxury they can’t afford to keep if it blocks them from fixing an everyday hole.
No one doubts that the Yankees highly value Lombard Jr., and if the Yankees can find a path to upgrade third base without including him, they will. But in baseball, “untouchable” means something very different when a trade hangs on a single prospect, and your system is ranked near the bottom of the league.
No one outside the Yankees’ front office knows where Cashman draws the line. But let’s be honest: in a deadline market where taking on Nolan Arenado’s contract might be the only option that doesn’t cost a top prospect, even Lombard’s status is conditional.
It’s one thing to say the Yankees shouldn’t trade George Lombard Jr. It’s another thing to say they’ve already decided not to.