A new MLB.com report makes a prediction that will appeal to diehard New York Yankees and New York Mets fans: Who will be their next big-time prospect.
This has been a very eventful offseason for the Mets and Yankees. To kick off the fall the New York baseball clubs went toe-to-toe in a historic bidding war for outfielder Juan Soto. In the end, the team from Queens won the battle to the tune of a historic $765 million deal.
However, since their fight for Soto the two teams have made a slew of moves to improve their rosters for 2025. The Yankees made some of the best, including landing All-Star pitcher Max Fried and adding former NL MVP award winners Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt.
Both clubs are always willing to spend big. However, the ultimate goal would be to build a championship team with players developed internally. Much like the Pinstripes did during the 1990s when they created a dynasty team that featured Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, and Bernie Williams. The pair of teams are always on the hunt for a young prospect that could be their next big star.
Well, over the weekend various MLB.com asked their minor league experts who will be each team’s No. 1 prospect in two years, including for the Yankees and Mets.
George Lombard Jr. and Elian Pena expected to be New York Yankees and Mets No. 1 prospect by 2027
“The son of former big leaguer and current Tigers bench coach George Lombard, he inherited his father’s athleticism and developed a high baseball IQ while growing up around the game,” the site wrote about Yankees prospect George Lombard Jr.
“A quality defender at shortstop who could develop solid or better tools across the board, he batted .231/.338/.334 with five homers and 39 steals in 110 games between two Class A levels last season.”
When it comes to the Mets, their next great prospect is one whom the team shelled out big money for in the international free-agent market this offseason. A player many baseball analysts felt was the second best in his class behind new Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki.
“Peña signed with the Mets for $5 million last month — the largest bonus handed to an international player not named Roki Sasaki,” MLB.com wrote. “He could be an instant sensation in the New York system as a left-handed hitter with a knack for finding the barrel and potentially massive power.
“Evaluators are split on whether he’ll stick at shortstop long term, though he’s shown improved athleticism, or move to elsewhere on the dirt, but everything offensively is tracking like a potential top prospect in the sport.”