Even Yankees fans know Jim Bowden's blurb on Tarik Skubal trade rumor is absurd

The Tarik Skubal trade buzz is starting to heat up, as experts and insiders around the league are beginning to believe that it's more likely than not that the Detroit Tigers will deal the two-time reigning AL Cy Young Award winner. The New York Yankees have been considered to be one of the early favorites to land the superstar.

The Yankees don't really need Skubal, but there is a world where acquiring the ace southpaw could indirectly improve one of the club's biggest sore spots — the bullpen. Of course, the problem with that plan is the fact that Skubal is a rental and there's no guarantee that New York could retain him beyond this season.

That doesn't necessarily matter, given the rotation depth, but the true question is whether or not Brian Cashman will pay the Tigers' price. The way Jim Bowden of The Athletic sees things, there might be a way for the organization to import Skubal to the Bronx at a price they'd like to pay. The rest of us are wondering if Jim is okay.

"The Yankees are not going to trade top pitching prospects Carlos Lagrange or Elmer Rodríguez, nor are they going to talk about infielders George Lombard Jr. or Dax Kilby for a rental. However, they might consider dealing right-hander Ben Hess and outfielder Spencer Jones to land Skubal, especially if they believe they can sign Skubal long-term," Bowden wrote.

Getting Skubal for just the club's No. 5 and No. 6 prospects, Ben Hess and Spencer Jones, respectively, would be incredible. It would also start a riot in Detroit. Bowden's suggestion ignores the fact that Cashman was reportedly laughed off the phone by Tigers' lead executive Scott Harris during the rumored offseason conversations between the two clubs.

Whether or not the Tigers have lost leverage is up for debate. The chances of them keeping Skubal are slim, but the bidding is expected to be even more fierce, with some suggesting that even a small-market club like the Rays could get in the mix.

There's no way Yankees pay favorable trade price for Tarik Skubal

If the Yankees were to offer something similar to the rumored Paul Skenes trade package from last summer, they'd have a pretty good shot at landing him. The difference is, Skenes at that point in time still had four-and-a-half years of team control and doesn't have the history of elbow surgeries that Skubal does.

It's also really hard to imagine Cashman offering a package like that for what would essentially be a luxury. There's no way he'd throw Cam Schlittler in there, given the fact that the 25-year-old might already occupy the same rarified air that Skubal does. There's also no way he parts with George Lombard Jr., Carlos Lagrange, or Elmer Rodriguez in this scenario (or any, really), either.

New York is in an interesting position. The blue-chip prospects at the top of the system that they've collected are truly valuable, and the Yankees' young MLB talents like Schlittler or even arms such as Will Warren and Ryan Weathers would be in high demand if they were to be made available.

That sets the scene for Cashman to essentially go out and buy any star that he wants, but if he does that he'll be left with such a barren system that the drought would extend for years due to a lack of sufficient depth.

At the end of the day, if the Tigers somehow, someway found a package of Hess and Jones sufficient for Skubal, Yankees fans would volunteer to deliver them personally. That'll never happen, though, and it's almost a guarantee that they won't part with the chips it would take for what is a luxury and not a need.

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