Yankees fans won't believe MLB Network's incredibly bias Tarik Skubal trade packages

Insiders around the league are ringing the bells, signaling that the tide has turned and the Detroit Tigers are now more likely to trade Tarik Skubal than not at the trade deadline. Though the Tigers have rebounded a bit, they still have a long way to go to shed this speculation. So where do the New York Yankees fit into that equation, though?

The Yankees reportedly engaged the Tigers in trade talks for the ace lefty, but were quickly shut down. At the time, adding to the starting rotation was a necessity, but New York's starting staff has been the best in baseball to date and hasn't yet been at full strength.

Any move that New York makes for Skubal would be a luxury one, though there is a way to acquire him and creatively solve the bullpen by utilizing the overflow starters in relief.

The question comes down to price, and that's where we have some questions based on some proposed packages from MLB Network.

According to Lance Brozdowski, the Los Angeles Dodgers can put together the best package by giving up outfield prospect Mike Sirota and starting pitching "prospect" River Ryan, who turns 28 in August. In order for the Yankees to contend with that package, Brozdowski sees them giving up Elmer Rodriguez, Dax Kilby, and Ben Hess. Lastly, he sees the Brewers competing with a package of infield/outfield prospect Jett Williams, outfield prospect Luis Lara, and right-handed pitcher Bishop Letson.

The Dodgers' package is the most egregious. Sirota is an intriguing player, but he was also acquired for Gavin Lux before last season. Obviously, players can develop, and opinions can change, but that's his starting point. Ryan, in addition to his advanced age, has had his career marred by injuries.

The elderly right-hander pitched just 44 2/3 innings in 2024 across all levels, as a shoulder injury delayed the start of his season until June, and then a torn UCL ended it prematurely in August. The resulting Tommy John surgery cost him all of 2025, and he just missed time with a hamstring injury.

Meanwhile, the proposal has the Yankees giving up three of their top five prospects between Rodriguez, Hess, and Kilby, whereas Sirota ranks No. 4 and Ryan No. 6 on LA's top 30 list.

The Dodgers' farm system far outranks the Yankees in MLB Pipeline's power rankings coming into 2026, but there's a caveat. Over the years, Los Angeles has continually had a top-ranked farm and consistently dealt from it, but a deep dive by the LA Times found that hardly any of those prospects panned out, and the system has been mostly smoke and mirrors.

Yankees won't part with this ridiculous package for Tarik Skubal (and it won't cost that much)

For one thing, the Yankees have bigger fish to fry than clearing out their top-tier chips for a starter when they have six guys worthy of rotation spots and potentially another one returning at the end of the year in Clarke Schmidt.

Trading for Skubal would give them an unbeatable rotation, and that does have some value, but it would still be a luxury add.

Beyond that, it's questionable how much leverage the Tigers truly have. There are some who believe that if they officially put him on the block, it will start a feeding frenzy of epic proportions. That's certainly possible.

However, this is Detroit's one and only shot to get something more than a comp pick for him. It seems even less likely now than it did before that they'll be able to re-sign him this winter, and no one wants to be like the Los Angeles Angels and have egg on their face after the proposed Shohei Ohtani-Junior Caminero trade came to light. The flip side is that the price the Rays would've paid in the deal was quite high.

At the end of the day, the anti-Yankees bias coming out in these mock trades is evident, and if that proposed Dodgers package is what ends up landing Skubal, just know that it's because the Tigers had little leverage and the Yankees had even less interest in getting into a bidding war.

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