It’s not every trade deadline that a back-to-back Cy Young winner is available. As Detroit’s season continues to derail, it’s becoming more likely that the Tigers will trade Tarik Skubal. With the Yankees still searching for their 28th World Series championship, GM Brian Cashman is under immense pressure to end the drought.
The New York Yankees will be buyers at the deadline as they look to address the bullpen and catcher dilemma. But with the Yankees’ core of Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole aging, their championship window is closing. The clock is ticking on this era of the Yankees going down as the biggest waste of talent in the franchise’s history.
That raises the question: Do the Yankees want to go all-in on a Skubal trade?
Getting Skubal Is Worth It
Adding a starting pitcher isn’t the Yankees’ biggest need, as they boast the best ERA in the league, but a championship contender can never have enough starting pitching.
The Yankees have their fair share of pitching concerns. Max Fried currently has a bone bruise; Cole and Carlos Rodon both had elbow surgeries in the offseason; and Cam Schlittler has thrown 100 innings already. Even with the Yankees’ pitching depth, pitching gets tested in the playoffs. In last year’s ALDS against the Toronto Blue Jays, only Schlittler pitched more than five innings among the 12 Yankees pitchers.
Skubal is playoff-proven, with a 2.04 ERA over 39.2 postseason innings. The 29-year-old has been arguably the best pitcher on the planet. From 2024 till now, he ranks second in fWAR (14.0) and third in ERA with a 2.44. His wins, strikeouts, strikeout percentage, and WHIP are all in the top five as well. It’s almost unprecedented for a pitcher of his stature to become available.
Now Is the Time for Yankees to Strike
The American League is weak this season, with only six teams currently above .500. Adding Skubal would tilt every playoff series in the Yankees’ favor. A rotation heading into October with Schlittler, Skubal, Fried, Cole, and Rodon would put them as World Series favorites. This opportunity at winning can’t afford to wait, though.
With the looming lockout threatening the 2027 MLB season, the Yankees need to attack. A potential lockout means that there may be a lost season and financial restrictions next year, creating a sense of urgency to build up this current roster.
Best of all, Skubal being a free agent next season makes this all but perfect. There will be no long-term financial commitment to the reigning Cy Young winner; the Yankees would just owe around a third of Skubal’s $32 million this season.
The real commitment is how much would Skubal cost the Yankees?
What Would Yankees’ Skubal Trade Package Look Like?
The Yankees have the farm system to make a substantial offer to Detroit. But how much Cashman is willing to let go to add Skubal is what can make or break this trade?
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale wrote that, “The cost could be two of their top-10 prospects, including one who’s in the top 100 overall,” when discussing how much the Atlanta Braves would have to cough up for Skubal.
Any interested team in Skubal would likely have to part ways with a top 100 prospect, a top-10 organization prospect, and MLB-ready talent. While it’s a lot, it isn’t every day that a pitcher of his caliber becomes attainable.
While no prospect is truly untouchable, the Yankees’ number one prospect, George Lombard Jr., becomes paramount in this scenario. The Yankees are reluctant to part with their future shortstop who could make his debut later this season. That leaves three remaining top 100 prospects in Dax Kilby (#63), Elmer Rodriguez (#79), and Carlos Lagrange (#86) to be the anchors in the deal.
Kilby, who is 19 years old, has only played Single-A but is a very polished hitter for his age. The first-round pick has had an injury for almost all season, but in 2025 he hit .353 with more walks than strikeouts. Rodriguez has shown upside across four starts this season with the Yankees, but location trouble has bitten him. Finally, the Yankees are transitioning Lagrange into a reliever to reinforce the bullpen with his flamethrowing capabilities.
Spencer Jones Could Boost Tigers’ Hitting
The Yankees could offer one of those three plus a top 10 such as Spencer Jones, for instance. Jones has shown promise during his second call-up, batting .265 with an .815 OPS. While his swing-and-miss rate is a concern, his raw power and speed combination offers the help a Tigers’ dim offense lacks.
The Tigers, however, will probably ask for pitching in return as their farm system currently lacks it. They don’t have any pitchers in the top 100 and only two in their top 10. The Yankees’ top 10, on the other hand, has seven pitching prospects plus arms like Will Warren and Ryan Weathers who have years of control left.
Could the Price of Skubal Drop?
Skubal had his NanoNeedle procedure to remove loose bodies from his elbow back in May and hasn’t looked quite like the same Cy Young pitcher since. Before the surgery, Skubal dominated on the mound, throwing a 2.70 ERA in seven starts. Since coming back, he’s pitched a 4.03 ERA in four starts. Skubal did pitch six innings against the Yankees on Tuesday, allowing just one run.
If he continues to struggle in the coming weeks, the price may drop for the teams who can afford him. Naturally, those teams are the big contenders such as the Dodgers and Brewers whose farm systems are elite.
Either way, the asking price will be astronomical for a rental, but the Yankees can’t let this get in the way. The Yankees are the favorites to win the American League pennant; New York can’t allow rival competitors to acquire him. It’s a move that will cost a lot, but pitchers of his stature are one of a kind.
Getting Skubal is a World Series-winning move. The Yankees haven’t won since 2009, which is an eternity for a fan base told to be championship or bust every year. While they have other holes to fill, no other move makes them drastically better than acquiring Skubal.
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