Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees Must Move On From Tarik Skubal Idea

There's no world where the New York Yankees land the two-time Cy Young winner.
Jordon Lawrenz|
Oct 10, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) throws against the Seattle Mariners during the third inning during game five of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
Oct 10, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) throws against the Seattle Mariners during the third inning during game five of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

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New York Yankees

Tarik Skubal clocked in at No. 8 in MLB Network's Top 100 players and there's good reason for that. The New York Yankees have long been linked to the Detroit Tigers starter, but that doesn't mean they should go all-out to get him.

Recently, Jon Heyman confirmed the Yankees were in talks with the Tigers, though the two sides were nowhere near close on a deal.

After the Milwaukee Brewers traded Freddy Peralta to their in-state rival, the New York Mets, it sure would've been nice to stick it to them and bring in Skubal. Ultimately, everyone must move on.

Skubal Isn't Worth Steep Asking Price

No matter how dominant he was, Skubal is one injury away from changing everything. It would take a boatload of top Yankees prospects, or even major league caliber players in order to complete a trade with Detroit.

The Tigers aren't stupid. They know what they have, and all things considered their asking price isn't even that outrageous. Skubal could single handedly change the trajectory of this Yankees season, but that's a risk that simply isn't worth taking.

Looking at what the Mets dealt for Peralta, that one-year rental trade could've been much more beneficial for the Yankees. There's a chance they would've been able to re-sign the Brewers ace after this season, but clearly they stood no real chance to begin with.

While adding to the Yankees rotation sounds amazing, they're already set with a ton of quality pitchers who should all see significant innings in 2026. The impending return of Gerrit Cole could change everything. It's not like he makes up for not having Skubal on their roster, but it at least lessens the blow knowing how much talent the Yankees would have to lose.

Both Parties Must Move Forward

Fielding offers is one thing, but actually following through is another. The Tigers were likely "putting Skubal on the market" just to see if there was a team dumb enough to meet their demands. Thankfully for Yankees fans, their team wasn't going to fall into the trap.

Adding some more offensive certainly seems to be a priority at this point in time. Other than bringing back Cody Bellinger, this team has only added one pitcher and a handed out quite a few minor league contracts. That simply isn't going to cut it if they want to make another run at the World Series, so it's time to put the Skubal talks behind them and go make an impact elsewhere.

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Jordon Lawrenz
JORDON LAWRENZ

Jordon Lawrenz is a writer for On SI, part of the Sports Illustrated Network. Jordon is an accomplished writer for NFL, MLB, and college football/basketball. He contributes to PFSN’s and Heavy’s NFL coverage. Having graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay with a Sports Communication and Journalism degree, Jordon fully embraced the sports writing lifestyle upon his relocation to Florida.

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