Matt Johnson
The New York Yankees had a relatively quiet offseason, primarily just re-signing their own key players and making small changes to the bullpen ahead of the 2026 MLB season. However, that apparently only came after the club made a run at a blockbuster trade.
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Yankees made a run at acquiring Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes ahead of the MLB trade deadline. The club’s pursuit was incentivized by the belief that Skenes eventually wants to pitch for New York.
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However, per Heyman, the effort to acquire Skenes was immediately rebuffed. Pittsburgh shut down conversations before they could even begin, not even allowing New York to make an offer on Skenes. It’s since been made clear to teams around the league that Skenes isn’t available.
Heyman notes that New York hasn’t given up hope on acquiring the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner. He’ll be arbitration-eligible for the first time next winter and with two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Subal being awarded a $32 million salary in the final year of his arbitration, there’s at least some hopes that Skenes’ salary and long-term contract demands become too high for Pittsburgh.
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With MLB eventually expected to implement a salary floor under the next collective bargaining agreement, Pittsburgh has demonstrated a greater willingness to spend. The club acquired Brandon Lowe this offseason while adding Ryan O’Hearn and Marcell Ozuna to further strengthen the lineup.
New York also made a previous attempt at acquiring Skubal from the Tigers. However, Detroit’s asking price was so extraordinarily high that the Yankees backed off their pursuit. For the time being, the club is moving forward with its current rotation while keeping its options open for a future pursuit of Skubal or Skenes.
