The Yankees keep getting tugged toward the same idea, even if it doesn’t fit the cleanest checklist on paper: Tarik Skubal.
New York already took a swing at the Tigers’ ace once, handing the reigning two-time American League Cy Young winner the loss in the series finale on June 24. The Yankees get another shot Tuesday night in the Bronx, and if this keeps up, they could inch closer to a real run at landing the superstar left-hander before the Aug. 3 deadline.
That’s where the conversation gets interesting, because the easy argument is that the Yankees have bigger holes elsewhere. The bullpen needs help.
They could use a right-handed-hitting catcher. Maybe there’s room for an infielder who can handle shortstop or third base.
And on the surface, that all makes sense.
But the case for Skubal is that New York doesn’t need him in the usual sense. It needs him in the October sense.
The Yankees’ starters have sat near the top of the leaderboards all season, and the rotation has never really had its full strength together with Gerrit Cole and Max Fried healthy at the same time. Add Skubal to that group, and you’re not just improving the staff - you’re turning it into something overwhelming.
The idea isn’t depth. It’s dominance.
The kind that can change a postseason series before it ever settles in.
That’s why the focus on a reliever can feel a little too narrow. The goal in the playoffs is to line up the best 12 or 13 arms that can get 27 outs, and Skubal is the best arm that could be available.
There’s also a practical wrinkle here: the top bullpen options aren’t exactly inspiring. Aroldis Chapman has already made it clear he wants an apology from Brian Cashman, and that isn’t happening. Antonio Senzatela is the more realistic name, but a closer with a 6.65 ERA as a starter last year and a long record of being ordinary is a shaky answer to a big question.
The Yankees’ own relief numbers in June suggest the unit may not be quite as shaky as it looks from the outside. Fernando Cruz, Brent Headrick and David Bednar combined for a 0.98 ERA, a .110 batting average against, a .356 opponent OPS, 12/31 BB/K and no home runs allowed. There’s also Carlos Lagrange waiting in the wings, and a Skubal deal could even ripple outward by pushing either Will Warren or Ryan Weathers into the bullpen.
The infield market isn’t much cleaner. Jeremy Peña and CJ Abrams stand as the best shortstop names, but it’s far from certain either one is actually on the board.
Peña has had two IL stints last year and three more already this season. Abrams comes with his own warning labels, including defense issues and what the source calls an outlier offensive season in 2026.
Third base offers its own complications. Matt Chapman is there, but so is the contract baggage. Isaac Paredes is in the mix too, though his extreme pull-heavy approach as a right-handed hitter makes him a questionable fit.
That’s the point many keep missing: the best possible player available is Skubal, and that matters more than chasing a smaller fix. The Yankees have taken half measures at the deadline before, and the results haven’t exactly spoken for themselves. The gap between a back-end starter like Ryan Weathers, who has a 4.08 ERA, and a true ace is enormous.
This season has carried an unusual sense of urgency for New York. But urgency only matters if it leads somewhere. If the Yankees really want their 28th championship, Tarik Skubal is the kind of move that demands serious consideration, unless the price gets outrageous.
In Other News...
Yankees May Have Found Their Best Shot At A Bullpen Fix
After another shuffle in the relief mix, the Yankees are taking a longer look at Yovanny Cruz, a right-hander who has been throwing well enough in Triple-A to merit another turn in the majors. He has already flashed a little promise in New York with 2 1/3 scoreless innings, and his work in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre has kept him in the conversation as the club keeps searching for any arm that can bring a little more order to the late innings.
For a bullpen that has spent much of the season leaving the front office with more questions than answers, Cruz represents the kind of internal answer the Yankees would love to find before the trade deadline forces a bigger decision. The move comes with the usual reminder that one hot arm can change quickly, but it also shows how much the team is still leaning on depth rather than certainty while the relief corps continues to sort itself out. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Suffer Another Scary Injury Twist With Jazz Chisholm
Another tense moment for the Yankees unfolded against the Tigers when Jazz Chisholm had to exit after running into Jasson Dominguez on a play in short right field. Chisholm had been working at second base before Oswaldo Cabrera stepped in for him, adding another uneasy injury note to a team that has already had to manage plenty of moving parts.
Aaron Boone said Chisholm entered concussion protocol after the collision, and the Yankees now have to wait for the next layer of clarity on his condition. The play itself was one of those in-between moments that can turn ugly fast, leaving New York with more concern than answers as it tries to piece together what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Offense Just Reached A Breaking Point Fans Feared Most
The Yankees recent slide has gone beyond the usual summer rough patch, with the offense looking nothing like the group that could carry a contending club through injuries. A four-game stretch against the Red Sox and Tigers has exposed just how thin the margin is when key bats are missing, and the strikeout-heavy, low-contact approach has left the lineup searching for any kind of rhythm.
What makes the stretch so uneasy for the Yankees is that the problems do not appear limited to one cold night or one bad series. The absence of Aaron Judge has already been felt, and the broader conversation now circles around health, lineup construction and whether the current approach is giving the offense a real chance to recover before the next tough checkpoint arrives. [Read more 🡒]