The Yankees’ rotation has gone from concern to problem at exactly the wrong time, and with a month left before the trade deadline, the market is already starting to sort itself out.
Tarik Skubal is the name that keeps coming up for a reason. Detroit’s reigning AL Cy Young Award winner is the kind of arm that changes a staff overnight. But he also comes with a price tag that makes the whole idea feel closer to a fantasy than a realistic deadline swing for New York.
Skubal is making $32 million this season, and ESPN reported that his next contract would likely come in “at least $400 million, which would be a record for a pitcher.” That’s before even getting to the trade package. The Yankees would have to give up a major haul for just two and a half months of control, with names like Dax Kilby, Ben Hess, and Chase Hampton potentially in play.
And while New York can handle the money - it remains one of only three clubs with a payroll above $300 million - the prospect cost is where things get uncomfortable. That’s the kind of deal that empties the cupboard fast.
There’s another route, though, and it runs through Minnesota.
Joe Ryan doesn’t carry Skubal’s headline value, but he checks a lot of the same boxes the Yankees need. The 30-year-old right-hander has a 3.18 ERA over 93 1/3 innings, with 10.2 strikeouts per nine and just 1.85 walks per nine. He’s missing bats, limiting free passes, and doing it with the kind of efficiency teams love in October.
He’s also done a better job keeping the ball in the park. Ryan’s home run rate has dropped from a career mark near 1.35 per nine innings to 0.82 in 2026. He made his first All-Star team last year and is on pace for a career best in wins above replacement.
The biggest difference, though, is control. Ryan is making $6.2 million this season and has a $13 million mutual option for 2027.
He’s not a rental, which changes everything for a front office trying to avoid torching the farm system. A deal for Ryan could leave George Lombard Jr. untouched and still let the Yankees build a package around a lower tier of talent.
Minnesota’s direction will decide how real that possibility becomes. The Twins entered the July 4 weekend at 40-45, third in the AL Central and hanging around the wild-card picture. If they slip, Ryan becomes one of the most attractive arms available before the Aug. 3 deadline, and The Athletic has already ranked him among the players most likely to move.
There’s also some history that could matter. Ryan and the Twins went through arbitration friction last winter, and Minnesota has already shuffled its front office amid financial strain. That combination could make a deal more likely if the club decides to sell.
Ryan, for his part, hasn’t let the rumor mill get to him. Asked about handling the noise, he said: “This is what I’ve always dreamed of doing is playing in the big leagues.”
The Twins have another piece the Yankees would love to get their hands on in catcher Ryan Jeffers, a right-handed bat who had a .949 OPS before a hamate injury and is expected back before the deadline. A package built around Ryan and Jeffers could address two needs at once.
For New York, timing matters just as much as talent. Max Fried has been out since mid-May with a left elbow bone bruise, though he threw live batting practice on June 30 and is due for another session July 5, with a late-July return in play. Gerrit Cole is back from Tommy John surgery but still working back into form, while Ryan Weathers and Will Warren have been uneven behind them.
That’s the reality facing the Yankees right now: Skubal is the dream, but Ryan may be the smarter answer. And with the Twins coming to the Bronx this weekend, the Yankees won’t have to wait long to take a closer look.
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