The New York Yankees are in an arms race and could make a play for one of the best in baseball.
When ace Gerrit Cole returns from Tommy John surgery, he will join a rotation that includes Cy Young contenders Max Fried and Carlos Rodon. Add Will Warren, Cam Schlittler and the rehabbing Clarke Schmidt, it would appear the Yankees are set with starting pitching.
But as we learned during the postseason, you can never have enough quality arms. The Athletic's Chris Kirschner thinks the time is right for the Yankees to chase Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal.
"If willing, the Yankees could package some of these pitchers for one top-line starter, like Minnesota’s Joe Ryan or Detroit’s Tarik Skubal," Kirschner wrote. "Since the Tigers were eliminated in the ALDS, there’s already been chatter on whether Skubal could become available in a trade this offseason. If the Tigers know they don’t have the ability to retain him in free agency next offseason, it would make sense to trade him now and maximize the package they receive.
"Obviously, Detroit should just pay Skubal considering he’s the best pitcher in the sport, but whether they can keep him is an open question," Kirschner added. "The Yankees are well-positioned to land a top starter with the pitching depth that they have. They should try swinging big this offseason."
The 28-year-old Skubal is the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner and stands a good chance of winning it again this season. The left-hander went 13-6 this season with an AL-best 2.21 ERA. He also led AL pitchers with 6.6 WAR and finished second in the majors with a career-high 241 strikeouts.
After getting bounced from the American League Division Series, Skubal didn't sound confident about his future in Detroit.
“My job is to play,” Skubal said, per the Detroit Free Press. “That’s not my job — to do anything other than play. Those questions should be asked toward the front office and the people that make those decisions, but my job is to go out there and play.”
For his part, Tigers general manager Scott Harris is on the record as saying Detroit wants to sign Skubal to a long-term contract extension.
ESPN reports Skubal avoided arbitration last year by signing a one-year, $10.15 million contract and is slated to hit free afgency after the 2026 season.
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