Yankees shoudn't waste a second to propose The Athletic's Tarik Skubal trade package

The idea of the New York Yankees trading for Tarik Skubal is a pipe dream. There's simply no way that Brian Cashman coughs up anywhere close to equal value to pry him away from the Detroit Tigers, and even less of a chance that he bestows him with the massive extension required to keep him in the Bronx beyond one year with the current contracts for Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, and Carlos Rodón already on the books.

But imagine for a minute an alternate reality where the cost of acquisition isn't all that high. Let's pretend that the price the Yankees would have to pay would make even just a one-year rental of Skubal worthwhile. In that case, you'd have to start considering it.

That's the exact scenario we find ourselves in with The Athletic's (subscription required) mock trade proposal.

If the Yankees could actually get Tarik Skubal with this proposed package, they should do it in a heartbeat

In this scenario, Jim Bowden has the Yankees sending Will Warren, Spencer Jones, Bryce Cunningham, and Carlos Lagrange to Detroit in exchange for Skubal.

Per MLB Pipeline, Lagrange is the Yankees' No. 2 overall prospect, Jones comes in at No. 4, and Cunningham comes in at No. 5. Giving up three of your top five prospects might seem like a lot at first blush, but it's really not.

Not all farm systems are created equal, and MLB.com's post-trade deadline update pegged the Yankees in the bottom half of the league, coming in at 22nd overall, and that was before Cam Schlittler's graduation from prospect status.

Only two of the players in that proposed package rank in the top-100, and they're pretty deep in the back half with Lagrange coming in at No. 74 and Jones, whose strikeouts are still a major concern despite his summer surge, barely hanging on at No. 99.

That tips the value scales in the Yankees' favor for sure, but the other big win here is that, aside from Will Warren, none of these players are guaranteed to have roles on the 2026 club.

Sure, a couple of them are close, but Jones might not have a role in the outfield if Cashman makes another move there, which is still a possibility, and Lagrange would have an upward climb to crack the starting rotation with Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz likely ahead of him and a veteran addition coming in this winter as well.

The Tigers likely wouldn't accept this package. They're planning on contending in 2026 with or without Skubal. That would mean a realistic offer would include Schlittler over Warren, Rodriguez-Cruz over Cunningham, and replacing either Jones or Lagrange with George Lombard Jr. Still, that likely isn't enough.

But if we are assuming that Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris did indeed fall and hit his head, Cashman should pull the trigger on this package without a second thought. After all, until proven otherwise, Warren's a No. 5 starter, Jones might be the second coming of Joey Gallo, Lagrange's control issues and durability concerns might make him a reliever, and Cunningham has thrown just 54 1/3 professional innings. Even for only a year of Skubal, that's a helluva deal.