Matt Johnson
The New York Yankees are one of the best teams in baseball this season, led by a pitching staff that just welcomed back Gerrit Cole. While the Yankees’ rotation already seems set, one insider believes a Tarik Skubal trade could be on the table with a specific offer.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic proposed that the Yankees could offer a trade package of top prospects Spencer Jones and Ben Hess. As he mentioned, New York would be even more inclined to pull the trigger if Skubal indicated he would be willing to sign a contract extension.
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As Bowden notes, the Yankees top prospects won’t be moved for Skubal. As coveted as the two-time Cy Young Award winner is, only so much will be made available by teams for a pure half-season rental who can’t be extended a qualifying offer.
That is why New York would not be willing to offer any of its best minor league talent—George Lombard Jr., Elmer Rodriguez, Dax Kilby, and Carlos Lagrange—to Detroit for Skubal.
There is a very strong argument to be made for trading Jones. While the 6-foot-7 outfielder used to be New York’s No. 1 prospect, his stock has fallen considerably in recent years. As his brief cup of coffee in the majors showed, with a 44.4 percent strikeout rate and a .167 batting average, there is an alarming amount of swing-and-miss to his game.
Related: Insider Names 2 Surprise Potential Tarik Skubal Suitors
The real question is whether trading for Skubal is the right move for New York. On the one hand, it would give the club a postseason rotation of Skubal, Cole, Max Fried, and Cam Schlittler. That would unquestionably be the best pitching staff in October.
However, New York already has Will Warren and Ryan Weathers pitching very well as part of its rotation. While Weathers will likely be moved to the bullpen when Fried comes off the injured list, Brian Cashman still might prefer to use his prospect capital to acquire a high-end reliever and a catcher.
Given the club’s more pressing needs in the bullpen and for a complementary catcher to pair with Austin Wells, the Yankees simply might not offer enough for Skubal. If a prospect package centered around Jones could land him, however, the price would probably be too good to pass up.
Related: Insider Names Potential Yankees Trade Target
