Tarik Skubal to The Bronx?
Former Yankees outfielder Cameron Maybin argued that trading for the Tigers ace would let the Bombers “take over the entire league.”
“[Kyle] Tucker and [Cody] 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 in an X post on Thursday.
Maybin — who enjoyed a solid 2019 with the Yankees — is no stranger to being traded by the Tigers, as he was sent to the Marlins as part of a massive eight-player trade in Dec. 2007 that sent slugger Miguel Cabrera to Detroit.
The retired journeyman ripped his former team’s handling of Skubal.
Two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal has been floated in trade rumors all offseason, with his camp and the Tigers reportedly far apart in negotiations. Getty Images
“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] it’s probably not smart to pay Skubal what he deserves,” Maybin said.
Skubal, 29, has developed into arguably the best starting pitcher in baseball.
The left-hander won his second consecutive American League Cy Young Award in 2025, going 13-6 with a league-leading 2.21 ERA in 31 starts.
In 2024, Skubal locked down the AL Triple Crown, leading the league in wins (18), ERA (2.39) and strikeouts (228).
Despite that success, the Tigers have reportedly been reluctant to meet Skubal’s hefty price tag before he’s set to hit free agency after the 2026 season, prompting a flurry of trade rumors.
The Post’s Jon Heyman reported last month that negotiations have been off by $250 million.
Skubal has dismissed the trade talks — and questioned why his name has been floated at all.
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“It’s all out of my control. … It’s not like I want to be traded, so it’s kind of like, why am I in these conversations to begin with?” Skubal told “Foul Territory” on Thursday. “At the end of the day, it doesn’t really impact anything that I’m going to do day-to-day.”
Maybin, who appeared in parts of 15 MLB seasons, spent 2019 with the Yankees, slashing .285/.364/.494 with 11 home runs in 82 games. Anthony J Causi
Maybin added that acquiring Skubal, along with another Cy Young winner believed to be available in the trade market, would solidify the Yankees for postseasons to come.
“But imagine pairing him with a healthy Sandy Alcantara in the Bronx along with [Max] Fried, [Gerrit] Cole, [Carlos] Rodon,” Maybin said. “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!”