The New York Yankees' free agency interest remains in either signing Kyle Tucker or bringing back Cody Bellinger. However, a former Yankees player has suggested one option the team needs to pivot if they want to really bring a game-changer in the offseason.
That name is none other than Tarik Skubal, who won his second straight AL Cy Young with the Detroit Tigers. Former Yankees outfielder Cameron Maybin believes that adding the Tigers pitcher would elevate the team to another level, even more than signing either Tucker or Bellinger.
"Tucker and Bellinger will shake up somebody's offseason, but the move that would take over the entire league is the Yankees going to get Skubal," Maybin wrote on X. "Tigers clearly don't want to pay him or they would have already.... I'm sure they're trying to justify or convince themselves how's it's probably not smart to pay Skubal what he deserves."
Maybin put the imagination up on how the Yankees' starting rotation would look if Skubal is traded to the Yankees.
"But imagine pairing him with a healthy Sandy Alcantara in the Bronx along with Fried, Cole, Rodon," Maybin added. "That is a playoff nightmare for every lineup in baseball. And I don't want to hear anything about payroll. This is the Yankees. If you want to win you find a way to make it happen!"
Tarik Skubal to The Bronx?
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) November 21, 2025
Former Yankees outfielder Cameron Maybin argued that trading for the Tigers ace would let the Bombers “take over the entire league.”
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Should Yankees go after Tarik Skubal?
Yes, but only if they are willing to sign him to an extension as soon as they acquire him. Otherwise, he's a one-year rental as he is set to become a free agent after the 2026 season and just in order to acquire him, the Yankees might have to yield a lot of their future.
They already suffered the aftermath when they traded for Juan Soto, but couldn't keep him from signing elsewhere in the offseason.
However, there's no denying, Skubal's addition would take the Yankees to among the top in the league. Registering bounce-back Cy Young seasons is hard enough; the left-hander even showed what he can do in the postseason.
As such, Skubal brings that element to the game, where the Yankees have lacked and struggled. Moreover, he doesn't have any persistent injury troubles and has been a workhorse the last few years.
Therefore, the Yankees must be clear in their mind about future plans while also taking note of the fact that they have to keep their payroll under $300 million if possible for next season.
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