On Friday night, the New York Yankees will begin a three-game series against the Athletics at Raley Field.
The Yankees most recently swept the Royals, winning the last game of the series 7-0.
New York received a boost to its rotation with the return of Cy Young award winner Gerrit Cole, who pitched 6.2 innings and struck out 10 batters.
New York Yankees Linked to Tarik Skubal
This Yankees season has already featured the rise of Cam Schlittler into a Cy Young contender and a likely frontline starter for years to come. Unfortunately, Max Fried went on the injured list, and despite early positive returns from Gerrit Cole, his health remains a question mark the rest of the season.
As a result, the team has been linked to reigning Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal, who is in the final year of his contract with the Detroit Tigers.
Regarding what it would take for the Yankees to pull off a potential Skubal trade, The Athletic’s Jim Bowden wrote:
“Of course, general manager Brian Cashman will be monitoring the Skubal trade talks like he always does. However, if Max Fried’s elbow injury really is just a contusion and he comes back healthy, then with a rotation of Fried, the emerging Cam Schlittler, the return of both Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón and the further development of Will Warren and Ryan Weathers, there really isn’t a need to trade their top prospects to land Skubal. They’re not going to offer Carlos Lagrange or George Lombard Jr. for a rental.
That being said, I can see them making a low-ball offer of Spencer Jones and Ben Hess and at least stay involved in the talks. If the prospect price becomes realistic, they’ll be players. Imagine Skubal, Fried, Cole and Schlittler as your October rotation.”
Possible Skubal Fit With Yankees
Regarding what trading for Skubal might do to the Yankees rotation, Yankees on SI’s Michael Rosenstein said, “Adding Skubal would create a super-rotation with five aces that would be tough to beat in October. It sounds like a pretty good way to snap the Yankees’ World Series slump.”
Even if the Yankees opt against trading Skubal, the team should still be in good shape to make a deep playoff run, with their rotation being a strength of the team.
At 34-22, the Yankees were No. 5 in ESPN’s latest Power Rankings, behind only the Tampa Bay Rays among American League teams. ESPN’s Jorge Castillo wrote:
“A year ago, Cam Schlittler was in Double-A without any fanfare. He wasn’t found on any top 100 prospect lists and fans weren’t clamoring for his call-up. This year, he’s the front-runner to win the AL Cy Young Award. The tall right-hander has a 1.50 ERA through 12 starts behind an overwhelming three-fastball mix. He has compiled 81 strikeouts to 13 walks and given up two or fewer runs in 10 outings. Schlittler has been nearly automatic every fifth day. And with Gerrit Cole back and Max Fried returning at some point this summer, the Yankees’ rotation could end up being the best in the majors.”
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