New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman would do almost anything to land Tarik Skubal. But he wouldn’t trade George Lombard Jr.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal detailed the Yankees’ pursuit of the now-former Detroit Tigers lefty, who landed with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Aug. 1.
Rosenthal effectively confirmed the Yankees could have landed Skubal if they were willing to part with Lombard, but that Cashman refused to do so. The Yankees have, of course, called up Lombard in the aftermath, and he has flashed an impressive glove while also boasting an OPS+ of 243 in two games.
The Yankees Refused to Trade George Lombard Jr. to Land Tarik Skubal
GettyGeorge Lombard Jr. has flashed the leather in his first two games in pinstripes.Â
Cashman effectively admitted he wouldn’t deal Lombard during his post-deadline press availability earlier this week.
âThey did have some asks our way that we were unwilling to do,â Cashman told reporters Monday. âBut it was a very specific ask and a certain player â and a player we werenât willing to play with in that arena despite Tarik Skubal, despite how good of a pitcher he is.â
Rosenthal expounded on Cashman’s quote.
“Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said he would not part with a âcertain playerâ the Tigers wanted for Skubal,” Rosenthal wrote. “That player almost certainly was shortstop George Lombard Jr., who has been a revelation defensively since making his major-league debut this week.”
Lombard proved his defensive abilities in the majors after the Yankees called him up Tuesday, sending Anthony Volpe and Jasson DomÃnguez back to Triple-A in the process. He has three putouts and nine assists, with zero errors and already boasts a 0.5 defensive fWAR.
A team can never have too much pitching, but the Yankees’ starting staff has been by far its strength, which further made trading Lombard for Skubal a dicey proposition. The Yankees are third in the majors in starters’ ERA (3.48), which is even superior to the Dodgers’ 3.56 ERA at this point.
Rosenthal: The Padres Never Intended to Trade Mason Miller
The Yankees didn’t land a catcher, and Cashman detailed that the price was too high to get in on Adley Rutschman or Hunter Goodman.
But Rosenthal also reported an intriguing nugget about the Yankees’ pursuit of San Diego Padres relievers Mason Miller and Adrian Morejon to shore up the back end of their bullpen.
“The Yankees, among other teams, kept calling. But rival clubs never got the impression Preller intended to trade either one,” Rosenthal wrote. “The only way [Padres GM A.J.] Preller would have moved Miller or Morejon was if he could acquire enough future value to sacrifice the present.”
To that point, Lombard probably would have been the starting ask, particularly for Miller, who is the best closer in baseball. The Padres likely also wanted either Will Warren or Ryan Weathers â there was, of course, the report that a Warren-for-Morejon trade was nixed by one side, though which side is still up for debate.
But Rosenthal’s reporting flies in the face of fans who have given Cashman flak for failing to go all-in on acquiring impact players via trade.
In the end, Lombard was a non-starter for the Yankees, and was the prized prospect that every other club wanted.
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