LAS VEGAS — The Yankees have moved on from longtime international scouting director Donny Rowland after 23 years in the organization, and questions continue to grow about whether the club’s uneven results with top international signings, including outfielder Jasson Dominguez, played a role in the decision.
Rowland, 62, was dismissed earlier this offseason. Multiple major league sources confirmed the move and pointed to the Yankees’ struggle to turn high priced international prospects into impact players. That trend has stood out across the past decade, even as the Yankees kept spending heavily in the market.
General manager Brian Cashman confirmed Rowland’s exit during the GM Meetings. He said the front office wanted a new direction after Rowland’s contract expired.
“His contract had expired,” Cashman said during a conference call. “Just like anything else, you’ve got to make some very difficult decisions. I’ve been involved with Donny Rowland for a long time. But, fork in the road, contract had expired and I made the difficult decision to look for a different lead voice in that chair.”
Cashman said the Yankees have started gathering names for the search and will move to formal interviews soon.
Dominguez’s rise and stall draws attention
Dominguez remains the most talked about player from Rowland’s tenure. The Yankees gave him a record 5.1 million dollar signing bonus in 2019. That was the largest international bonus in franchise history. Expectations soared for the switch hitting outfielder as soon as he entered the system.
The Yankees opened 2025 with Dominguez as their primary left fielder. He showed strong early promise but finished the season in a part time role. He posted a .257 average with 10 home runs, 47 RBIs and 23 steals across 123 games. He ended with a .719 OPS. His role for 2026 remains unclear as the Yankees weigh outfield depth and consistency.
Dominguez, now 22, is still viewed as one of the Yankees’ most talented young players. But his season raised concerns inside the organization about his long term impact and whether he can reach the ceiling many predicted. Those questions sit next to a much bigger pattern for the Yankees. Many of their largest international investments have not developed the way the club hoped.
Track record under scrutiny
The Yankees have not been alone in seeing top international prospects fail to meet expectations. But their recent record with large bonuses has been especially uneven.
In August, the Yankees released Alexander Vargas. New York signed the Cuban shortstop for 2.5 million dollars in 2019. He topped out at Double A before being cut. He later joined the Cincinnati Reds’ system.
Brando Mayea, who received 4.35 million dollars in 2023, spent his third straight season in rookie ball at age 20. Shortstop Roderick Arias, who signed for 4 million dollars in 2022, hit .208 with a .640 OPS in Low A during his second season at that level. Mani Cedeno, who signed for 2.5 million dollars in 2025, batted .183 with 76 strikeouts in 164 at bats in the Dominican Summer League.
Other signings have also struggled to stand out. Hans Montero signed for 1.7 million dollars in 2021 and spent much of 2025 at first base despite signing as a shortstop. Outfielder Raimfer Salinas, who cost 1.85 million dollars in 2017, never rose beyond Low A. He was suspended in 2023 for a positive PED test and later released.
The Yankees have seen similar outcomes in earlier years. Their 2014 class included seven players who each signed for at least 1 million dollars. Only two reached the majors. They played a combined 107 games.
Lower cost signings have shown more success. Luis Severino received a 225,000 dollar bonus in 2011. Oswaldo Cabrera signed for 100,000 dollars in 2015 and remains on the Yankees’ 40 man roster. The team has also found promising arms at smaller prices, such as right hander Carlos Lagrange, who signed for 10,000 dollars in 2022 and has become one of the organization’s top pitching prospects.
Was Dominguez’s development a factor?
Inside and outside the Yankees, Dominguez’s performance has become a central point of discussion. He remains the biggest name attached to Rowland’s tenure. His season did not match the massive hype that followed him through the minors. But Dominguez still made steady progress. He showed flashes of the power and athleticism that made him such a rare signing.
Sources told The Athletic that Dominguez is viewed as the closest thing the Yankees have had to a high bonus success story in years. That fact alone has intensified public conversation about whether his development track influenced the club’s leadership change.
Yankees officials have not directly tied Dominguez to the decision. But their willingness to reset the department signals a desire to rebuild trust in their international pipeline. That pipeline has weakened as homegrown talent becomes more important across Major League Baseball.
Rowland’s long tenure ends quietly
Rowland first joined the Yankees in 1995 as a national scout and pro cross checker. He left briefly in 1999 and returned in 2007. He became the international scouting director in 2010. His responsibilities included identifying and signing players from Latin America, the Caribbean and other key regions.
Under his leadership, the Yankees invested heavily in global scouting. They aimed to match teams like the Dodgers and Padres, who have built strong pipelines in the international market. But the results did not meet the price tag. The combination of stalled prospects, slow development and high financial commitments created internal pressure for change.
Cashman said the decision was difficult. He praised Rowland’s contributions but made clear that the Yankees want new leadership to guide the next chapter of the department.
“At this stage, we’ve started to gather some names,” Cashman said. “We will eventually get to an interview process and land on someone new to lead that department.”
What the Yankees face next
The Yankees now confront a major task. Their international department needs renewed direction. Their biggest signings have produced limited return. Their depth has thinned at the lower levels. And Dominguez presents one of the biggest questions of all. His development will shape how the Yankees evaluate the past and invest in the future.
Rowland’s exit after 23 years signals a reset. Whether Dominguez stood at the center of that decision is still a matter of debate. But his name continues to shadow the conversation. The Yankees know that their next hire will define how the team rebuilds its global scouting identity in the years ahead.
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