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The New York Yankees could be a potential destination if the Detroit Tigers trade Tariq Skubal.

The New York Yankees continue to be floated as a top potential trade destination in ongoing MLB rumors. ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel labeled the Yankees among the top possible landing spots for one of the best pitchers in baseball.

Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal is ESPN’s No. 1 ranked trade candidate. The Yankees along with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants are labeled as the top potential landing spots for Skubal, per Passan and McDaniel.

It is worth noting that the insider’s put Skubal’s chances of being traded at just 10%, making it highly likely that Detroit retains the star pitcher. If not, the Yankees loom as a top potential trade partner for the coveted pitcher.

“Despite several executives believing Skubal will move, the Tigers have shown no sign of deviating from their position that the back-to-back American League Cy Young winner will stay in Detroit,” Passan and McDaniel wrote in a December 2, 2025, story titled, “2025-26 MLB offseason: Ranking players who could be traded.” “Though he’s a free agent after 2026 and contract extension discussions have gone nowhere, Skubal is the Tigers’ centerpiece player, and Detroit intends to contend again next season.

“The scouting report: After back-to-back AL Cy Young awards, Skubal is the best pitcher in the game, with Paul Skenes on his heels. Like most aces, Skubal tinkered to find an extra gear. Skubal’s changeup was the best in baseball this past season by a significant margin. His usage of the pitch over the past five years went from 12% in 2021 to 15% in 2022 to 24% in 2023 to 27% in 2024 and 31% in 2025, his most-used pitch.”

Tigers SP Tarik Skubal’s Market Value Is a Projected 8-Year, $299 Million Contract

Skubal is on a one-year, $22 million contract with the Tigers but is headed for an eventual lucrative payday in MLB free agency in 2026. Spotrac projects Skubal’s market value to be a massive eight-year, $299 million contract.

If the Yankees attempted to enter the Skubal sweepstakes, it will likely cost New York a king’s ransom to land the ace. Skubal is coming off back-to-back All-Star campaigns winning a combined 31 games, including 18 victories in 2024.

Yankees Rumors: Blockbuster Trade for Tigers Pitcher Tarik Skubal Would Cost New York a Premium

If the Tigers are willing to meet Skubal’s eventual asking price, Detroit will clearly look to retain the pitcher. Until then, trade rumors are going to continue to swirl about Skubal’s long-term future in Detroit.

“If the Tigers were to trade Skubal for anything less than a gobsmacking return, it would likely mean their competitive window would be tighter — and it would be hard to call Detroit a contender without Skubal next season,” McDaniel detailed in a November 19, article titled, “MLB free agency: Breaking down Tigers’ options with Tarik Skubal.” “Dealing away a player of his caliber would label the Tigers a small-market team, at least by mindset, and bring into question whether they would find themselves in this situation again as other star players approach free agency. It’s much easier to push some, but not all, of their chips to the middle for the upcoming season and see what they can do with Skubal leading the way.

“… When I asked these sources what the Tigers should do, they seemed unsure about how Detroit was viewing the situation but leaned toward believing the Tigers would keep Skubal going into next season.”

Jonathan Adams is a veteran sports contributor covering the NFL, NBA and golf for Heavy.com. His work has been prominently featured on NFL.com, Yahoo Sports, Pro Football Talk, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and Sports Illustrated. More about Jonathan Adams

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