May 5, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) talks with umpire Alan Porter (64) during the fourth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Former Player Urging Yankees to Make Blockbuster Trade

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Joseph Randazzo | Last updated Nov 23, 2025 9:30 AM ET

Would there be a better postseason rotation than one with a trio that features Tarik Skubal, Gerrit Cole, and Max Fried? There's an opportunity for the New York Yankees to make that happen if the Detroit Tigers do end up shopping their ace, as many have predicted.

One person who believes the Yankees should pull the trigger on such a deal is Cameron Maybin, who played for the team in 2019 and had one of his most productive seasons at the plate that year. According to Maybin, it could be the best move for them to put the team over the top.

"Tucker and Bellinger will shake up somebody's offseason, but the move that would take over the entire league is the Yankees going to get Skubal," Maybin wrote on X. "Tigers clearly don't want to pay him, or they would have already.... I'm sure they're trying to justify or convince themselves how's it's probably not smart to pay Skubal what he deserves."

David Berding-Imagn Images

Maybin then made another proclamation, involving another high-end pitcher.

"But imagine pairing him with a healthy Sandy Alcantara in the Bronx along with Fried, Cole, Rodon," Maybin added. "That is a playoff nightmare for every lineup in baseball. And I don't want to hear anything about payroll. This is the Yankees. If you want to win, you find a way to make it happen!"

High Heat in October

In this fantasy scenario, where the Yankees end up getting Skubal and Alcantara, they would be set up not only as one of the best rotations on paper but also as the hardest-throwing in the sport.

At the back end would be Cam Schlittler, who sits at 98 MPH according to Baseball Savant. Then there is Alcantara, who, despite a down year, still averaged 97.4 MPH on his heater. Just like Alcantara, Skubal, arguably the best pitcher in baseball not named Paul Skenes, also sits at 97.4 MPH on his fastball.

Hitting good pitching is hard enough in baseball. Envisioning an opposing team coming to the Bronx on a chilly October night, needing to fend off a medley of fastballs that are between 98 and 100 MPH, and on top of that, are also hurling wicked breaking stuff, is a tantalizing thought.

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

This is a rotation that postseason dreams are made of. It may be a fantasy, though, because it would be hard to see any team in baseball giving up what they need to to land Skubal, while also taking on the remaining money left on Alcantara's deal. The Yankees are one of the few who can do both, and likely do so comfortably, but it's a matter of whether they will.

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