Tigers may hold Tarik Skubal as Yankees hunt catching help
ESPN says Detroit is leaning toward keeping Tarik Skubal, while The Athletic points to Ryan Jeffers as a realistic catcher trade target.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Tarik Skubal may be staying put, at least for now, and that changes the shape of a deadline market that is already short on true ace-level pitching.
With Major League Baseball’s Aug. 3 trade deadline less than two weeks away, ESPN reported that rival executives increasingly believe the Detroit Tigers are leaning toward keeping Skubal rather than moving him before the deadline.
That is a major swing point. CBS Sports identified Skubal as Detroit’s ace and a back-to-back Cy Young winner. He is scheduled to reach free agency after the season, a detail that would usually put a struggling club under pressure to at least listen hard on trade offers.
Detroit’s July run may be changing the math
The Tigers are still below .500, according to CBS Sports, but their recent form gives them a reason to resist a selloff. Detroit is 10-4 in July and 25-15 since the start of June, CBS Sports reported.
The club is also 4 1/2 games out of a playoff spot with more than two months left in the regular season. That mix, a losing overall record but a live postseason path, is why Skubal’s status has become one of the deadline’s biggest watch items.
ESPN’s reporting does not present Detroit’s position as locked in. CBS Sports noted that a poor stretch over the next week-plus could still push the Tigers toward selling. For now, the direction described by ESPN is that Detroit is more inclined to keep Skubal and chase another postseason berth.
Skubal’s CBS Sports player page lists him with a 2.83 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 82 2/3 innings, 11 walks and 98 strikeouts.
Yankees’ catcher search points toward Ryan Jeffers
The Yankees’ deadline shopping list has a clear need behind the plate, and The Athletic reported that Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers may be a more realistic trade fit than several other bigger-name options.
According to The Athletic, Colorado Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman, Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers and Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman may not be moved by Aug. 3. Jeffers, by contrast, was presented as a more attainable target for the Yankees or another club looking for catching help.
Jeffers is 29 and can become a free agent after the season, CBS Sports reported. That contract status could make the Twins willing to discuss him even though Minnesota remains in playoff contention. CBS Sports reported that bullpen help would likely be part of the return if Minnesota moved him.
His CBS Sports player page lists a .288 batting average, eight home runs, 31 RBIs, 27 runs and one stolen base. CBS Sports also listed his career OPS+ at 110.
For New York, CBS Sports noted that Jeffers would fit a roster need and that the Yankees would have the financial ability to pursue an extension if a trade happened and both sides wanted a longer deal.
Two Yankees prospects are being kept out of talks
MLB.com reported that the Yankees are not making infielder George Lombard Jr. or right-hander Carlos Lagrange available in deadline trade talks.
That matters because MLB.com described Lombard and Lagrange as New York’s two highest-rated prospects. The Yankees still have other minor league pieces that could be used to build trade packages, according to CBS Sports, but their top two names are being treated as off-limits for now.
With Skubal potentially staying in Detroit, Jeffers emerging as a catcher to watch and the Yankees drawing a line around their best prospects, the deadline board is starting to tighten before the final rush.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS Sports.