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CLEARWATER, FL - MARCH 1: Ben Hess #68 of the New York Yankees throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies during the sixth inning of the spring training baseball game at BayCare Ballpark on March 1, 2026 in Clearwater, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)

Trade deadline season is approaching, and ESPN’s David Schoenfield lists a trade candidate for all 30 MLB teams. For the New York Yankees, who, of course, will likely be buyers at this year’s trade deadline, he lists an interesting, highly regarded pitching prospect in the Yankees system, Ben Hess.

Schoenfield lists Hess here in part because the Yankees need immediate upgrades on this roster, which include the bullpen, catcher, and corner infield (third base), and Ben Hess is currently ranked as the Yankees’ No.5 overall prospect and second-best pitching prospect behind hard-throwing right-hander Carlos Lagrange. Hess is currently 23 years old in Double A Somerset, where the 6’5 255 lbs right-hander has posted a 3.55 ERA in 12.2 innings pitched with 23 strikeouts and a 1.74 WHIP. Hess has pitched in only five games so far in 2026 after missing the start of the season with an “undisclosed injury”, per Fox Sports.

Ben Hess Has Greatly Improved Within Yankees Farm System

Hess in 2025 saw significant growth and success across the Yankees’ farm system, including High A Hudson Valley and Double A Somerset. Combined Hess pitched in 22 games and posted a 7-4 record with a 3.22 ERA and 139 strikeouts in 103.1 innings pitched. Hess only got better after being promoted from High A to Double A, where his ERA started the year in High A was 3.51 in 15 starts, and then dropped to 2.70 after his promotion to Double A Somerset, where he pitched in seven games to finish the season.

The Yankees originally drafted Hess in the first round (26th overall) in the 2024 MLB Draft out of the University of Alabama. Despite having posted a 5.80 ERA for Alabama the year he was drafted, the Yankees liked his pitching profile with a 35% K rate, according to MLB.com’s prospect listings. Hess throws a fastball, curveball, slider, and change up. His fastball is between 92-96 mph but can get up to 98 mph, and he relies on a slow breaking ball (curve) and 80’s slider to generate swing and miss, per his scouting profile on MLB.com’s prospect rankings.

Ben Hess Can Generate Significant Swing And Miss

So far, his swing-and-miss profile from college has translated well in professional baseball. It’s no secret the Yankees have needs at this year’s MLB trade deadline as they chase an AL pennant and a World Series championship. Much of the Yankees’ issues center around the bullpen, and could include trading a future asset in Hess for an immediate one. The Yankees also have weaknesses at third base with Ryan McMahon, who’s posted an underwhelming .594 OPS this season.

They are also in the market for a right-handed hitting catcher, since both their catchers are left-handed at the moment, and their starter, Austin Wells, has been very disappointing offensively this year to say the least, with a .176 batting average, four home runs, and just seven RBI’s in 131 plate appearances. Insiders, including Joel Sherman of the New York Post, have floated names such as Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers.

This Yankees team at the moment (34-22) and just 1.5 games back from first place in the AL East is very good, but if they want to win a title this year, they need to improve around the edges. The Yankees’ farm system, although not ranked highly at the moment, has produced several big-name players in recent years, including Aaron Judge, Ben Rice, and Cam Schlittler.

The Yankees will have to dip into their farm system and part of their future in hopes of winning a championship this year in 2026. Just how badly they want to go all in on this 2026 team as it relates to affecting the future remains to be seen. But Ben Hess is one of several big-time Yankees prospects who could possibly be on a different team within the coming months.