The Yankees Need To Snag Tarik Skubal From The Tigers

There’s one pitcher out there who could wipe away the Yankees’ rotation headaches faster than a bottle of Advil: Tarik Skubal. And when someone like Jeff Passan raises an eyebrow and whispers, “Hey, this is actually doable if the Yankees feel like acting alive,” (I’m paraphrasing), you can only pray Brian Cashman isn’t off somewhere reorganizing his binder collection.

Passan even went so far as to say the Yankees have the juice to pull it off, noting that “New York’s got the upper-level pitching depth Detroit wishes it had.”

In other words: the Yankees can make this happen. The universe is teeing it up. Now we wait to see if Cashman actually swings.

If the Yankees believe they can lock up Skubal for the long haul, then yes—go ahead and throw open the farm-system vault. That’s the whole point of having prospects: eventually you trade some of them for someone who can actually help you win baseball games before the sun burns out. Passan even notes that Detroit isn’t clueless—they’re going to take the temperature of the market, because at some point they will have to move him.

As he puts it, “Teams aren’t about to cough up the moon if they can land a pitcher who’s three-quarters of Skubal at half the cost.” Translation: no one’s overpaying unless the alternatives dry up. Until then, the Tigers will sit back, sip their lemonade, and watch every GM squirm.

So who would the Yankees actually part with? That’s the million-dollar, sleep-depriving question. Jones and Lombard Jr.? Don’t even bother asking. Those guys are more off-limits than the good snacks in Aaron Judge’s locker. But everyone else? Well… if you want a Cy Young–stacking, high-octane, unhittable lefty who’s still young and under control, then yes—everyone else is basically wearing a price tag.

Skubal is the kind of pitcher who instantly transforms a rotation from “Yeah, maybe they can hang” to “We will dominate.” He throws hard, he misses bats, he has the metrics that make front offices swoon, and he owns hardware to prove he’s not a one-year magic trick. Add in Fried, Cole, Rodon, Cam? I mean, we just won the 2026 World Series on paper!

Sure, the trade cost will make your eyes water—but guess what? The Yankees actually have the pieces. And more importantly, they need to remember what it feels like to be hungry. Hungry to win. Hungry to dominate. Hungry to stop watching October baseball from the comfort of their couches.

If you listen to Passan—and honestly, the man knows things—this is the guy.