Why Yankees are ‘unlikely’ to win bidding war for potential top trade targets
Two aces that could be atop the New York Yankees’ trade deadline wish list are likely nothing more than pipe dreams to wear pinstripes this season.
Without knowing general Brian Cashman’s plans and whether he’d make a run at pitchers Tarik Skubal (Detroit Tigers) or Garrett Crochet (Chicago White Sox) by July 30, the Yankees may not be a realistic landing spot anyway because they wouldn’t be able to put together the best trade package, according to Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper.
Cooper placed the Yankees, who are 60-43, in the “hard to scrape enough” bin of teams that could potentially be in the running for either ace. Above them, he called the Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Dodgers the teams with the best prospect depth.
The Yankees have been linked to Crochet — The New York Post’s Jon Heyman said they “covet” him — more than Skubal over the past few weeks. The 27-76 White Sox are the worst team in baseball and many players and years away from contending, making Crochet a near certainty to get traded. He’d accelerate a rebuild via a multi-player package because he is under contract through 2026 and he’s finally fulfilling his ace upside. In 21 starts, he has thrown 111 1/3 innings with a 3.07 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 157 strikeouts.
Skubal also won’t be a free agent until 2027, though the Tigers at 50-52 are closer to contending and trading away a Cy Young contender during a competitive window requires a lopsided deal that the Tigers better win. Skubal has a 2.34 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 146 strikeouts in 123 innings (20 starts).
New York’s rotation has a 5.00 ERA since June 1, though it’s hard to call starting pitching the biggest weakness during a streak that has seen them lose 21 of 31 games.
The Yankees’ bigger need seem to be lineup based, which will likely come at a lower cost. The Yankees still have a solid system, but trades, graduations and injuries have thinned their top-end prospect depth. New York currently has two Top 100 Prospects (outfielders Jasson Dominguez, who ranks seventh, and Spencer Jones who ranks 81st). It’s unlikely to see the Yankees trying to add a front-line starter. If they did, they’d struggle to win a bidding war.
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