Tigers reportedly owned Yankees in Tarik Skubal trade talks this offseason

There's been an anticipation in the air that the New York Yankees would swing a big trade. The sentiment has only intensified with Cody Bellinger back in the fold, seemingly putting Jasson Dominguez and/or Spencer Jones on the trade block. Add in the fact that the Yankees have a wealth of pitching prospects, controllable big league arms they could part with, and some real remaining roster needs, and the formula seems to indicate a trade is in the cards.

And to the Yankees' credit, it's not for lack of trying. They were in on Edward Cabrera, they sniffed around Freddy Peralta, and according to recent reports, they checked in with the Detroit Tigers on Tarik Skubal, and were quickly told thanks, but no thanks.

In his report, Bryan Hoch wrote, "...they were told by the Tigers that they don’t have the necessary trade chips."

The Tigers embarrassed the Yankees as they quickly rejected New York's advances toward Tarik Skubal

The Skubal situation is a fascinating one. Not only is he the game's best left-hander and arguably the best starting pitcher in the game, but his situation with Detroit doesn't look like it will end well. While there have been misleading reports about extension talks, it's undeniable that a gap exists between the AL Central upstart and the back-to-back Cy Young winner.

The distance between the two sides couldn't be more apparent in the arbitration standoff that saw Skubal file at a record-setting $32 million and the Tigers countering with a modest $19 million. With Skubal hitting free agency at the end of the season, and with Scott Boras pulling the strings, it would seem that Detroit is likely to lose its superstar eventually, and therefore would have little leverage in trade talks.

However, that doesn't mean they'll accept any deal, and while Skubal is a one-of-a-kind talent, who, leverage or not, will require a haul to obtain, it's also an indictment on the Yankees.

While fans and the media hype up the value of their trade chips, the truth of the matter is the rest of the league doesn't see it that way. A player like Jasson Dominguez has seen his value dip to its lowest point. Some of New York's top prospects are impressive, but overall, the system is shallow, and the youngsters at the top aren't enough to swing a blockbuster.

Ultimately, this highlights the failings of the Yankees' recent strategy. The club has focused on trading mid-tier prospects — some of which are ascending — in exchange for middling big league talent. These pieces might not be headliners, but they'd add depth to a package for a bigger fish that could push a deal over the top. In some cases, they could become even more.

Examples of this include trading Roc Riggio, who was in the midst of a breakout season, in exchange for Jake Bird. Or, even more recently, trading risers Dillon Lewis and Brendan Jones for Ryan Weathers. Bird's disappointed so far, and we'll see what we get out of Weathers, but adding those youngsters with the high-end talent would make for an attractive package. Some of those players, like Lewis, might even have ascended to top prospect status.

The biggest takeaway here is that it's just another way the Yankees are stuck in the mud. And if we're being honest, even if the Tigers were open to considering a Yankee proposal for Skubal, New York would have likely balked when it heard the price. A half measure here, a conservative play there, and the team finds itself in this situation, hoping that simply running it back will do.