The Yankees may not have been the most obvious Tarik Skubal suitor, but they did at least kick the tires before Detroit sent the 29-year-old lefty to the Dodgers.
That interest, though, came with a steep price tag. In the brief back-and-forth between the clubs, the Tigers opened by asking for George Lombard Jr., whose father is the Tigers’ bench coach, before shifting to a four-player ask that included two big leaguers and two prospects. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Detroit even suggested that package still might not have been enough.
Will Warren was one of the names in the mix. The Yankees starter had been tied to other trade talks as well, including a possible deal for Padres reliever Adrian Morejon, and Heyman reported that Detroit has long liked him. But the asking price made the whole thing pretty simple from New York’s side: the Yankees weren’t about to part with Warren and four young players carrying roughly 20 years of control for what would amount to a two-plus-month rental.
Lombard Jr. was also drawing plenty of attention elsewhere. The Padres were reportedly “focused ” on the 21-year-old in trade discussions for Mason Miller, but the Yankees never budged on him for anybody.
That decision looks pretty sharp right now. The 6-foot-2 rookie has stepped in at shortstop and, in a short stretch, has looked like a revelation while Anthony Volpe has struggled. Lombard Jr. has flashed with the glove and also put together a .276 average with 2 homers, 2 RBI and an .827 OPS.
“This is the future of the New York Yankees,” MLB analyst Eduardo Perez said of Lombard Jr. on ESPN. “This is the player that they were waiting for. He can do a lot of things right.”
In Other News...
Yankees May Have Found A Long Term Answer At Third Base
The Yankees search for a long-term solution at third base could eventually lead overseas, where Japanese slugger Teruaki Sato is drawing attention as one of Nippon Professional Baseballs most dangerous hitters. Jon Heyman reported the Yankees are among the teams tied to the former Central League MVP, whose bat has made him a compelling potential fit for a club looking to stabilize a spot that has often been in flux.
There is still a lot of runway before anything concrete can happen, and Sato is not without questions on the other side of the ball, which makes the fit more intriguing than clean. Even so, for a Yankees organization that has not landed a major NPB star since Masahiro Tanaka, the possibility of adding a bat like Satos offers a glimpse at a major upgrade if the pursuit develops in the way the front office hopes. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees May Have Traded For Another Jasson Dominguez Problem
The Yankees went shopping for help in the outfield at the 2026 trade deadline, landing Heliot Ramos from the Giants in a move meant to patch over injuries and underperformance. Ramos arrived with real pedigree as a 2024 All-Star and team control through 2029, which is the kind of profile that usually makes a deadline pickup feel safer than a pure rental. For a club trying to stabilize a shaky corner of the roster, the appeal was obvious enough to justify parting with two prospects to get the deal done.
So far, though, the fit has been far rougher than the pedigree suggested. Since arriving in New York, Ramos has looked out of sync at the plate and uncertain in the field, leaving the Yankees with another outfield situation that still feels unsettled. For a team already trying to manage the long-term questions around Jasson Dominguez, the hope was that this move would reduce the noise, not add another layer to it. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Catching Prospect Keeps Fighting Through A Heartbreaking Personal Loss
Omar Alfonzos path back to the field has already carried far more weight than any box score can show. The Yankees catching prospect stepped away from baseball after losing his mother and sister in a Venezuela earthquake, then worked his way back into the game after rejoining the Pirates organization before being traded to New York on Aug. 1.
Now with Double-A Somerset, Alfonzo is trying to keep building a new chapter one game at a time. His recent walk-off blast gave the Patriots a needed lift and gave him a much-needed breakthrough, the kind of moment that can matter for reasons far beyond the standings as he continues settling into the Yankees system. [Read more 🡒]