The New York Yankees made one of the best moves of Major League Baseball's trade deadline by adding Frankie Montas. They gave their rotation a much-needed boost for the most important part of the season after going ice-cold right before the break.
But, unsurprisingly, it seems like Montas wasn't the only name on Brian Cashman's shortlist, as they were also keeping tabs on Detroit Tigers' ace Tarik Skubal, according to MLB Trade Rumors.
Yankees Wanted More Pitching
The Yankees were in the mix for Luis Castillo as well, so it's not a surprise to see that they also tried to land Skubal, who could've been traded amid a disappointing season in Detroit:
"The Yankees had interest in the Tigers’ Tarik Skubal prior to the deadline, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports," wrote Mark Polishuk. "Given how aggressively the Yankees were looking for pitching help, it isn’t surprising that they at least checked in on a talented and controllable arm like Skubal, who isn’t eligible for free agency until after the 2026 season."Tigers Held On To Skubal
Even though most of their roster was reportedly up for grabs, the Tigers would've demanded a high return for their young ace, which is most likely why he stayed past the deadline:
"Skubal ended up not being dealt anywhere, as while the Tigers were open to offers for 'just about everyone' in the wake of a massively disappointing season, it would’ve naturally taken a huge trade package to obtain a pitcher that still looks like a significant part of Detroit’s present and future," Polishuk added.They Still Want To Compete
Unfortunately for those teams interested in Skubal, the Tigers will likely want to run it back next season and add more talent rather than offload their good players:
"As poorly as 2022 has gone for the Tigers, they aren’t likely to abandon their plans to contend and immediately re-enter another rebuild phase, especially not with a lot of money already committed to such players as Javier Baez and Eduardo Rodriguez," wrote Polishuk.Yankees Could Still Be In The Mix
But we've seen how quickly things can change in this business, so the Yankees could still be interested in trading for him in the off-season if the Tigers change gears and give up on their World Series dreams:
"Since Skubal’s strong performance has been one of the few bright spots of Detroit’s season, moving Skubal might be just about the last thing the Tigers would do, so the Yankees’ pursuits might be limited to just monitoring the situation should plans change," the report concluded.So, keep an eye on the Evil Empire in the off-season, as they won't go anywhere.
]]>The Inquisitr
