The New York Yankees would surely love to have Paul Skenes, but at what cost?
By now, you surely know that the New York Yankees called the Pittsburgh Pirates to check in on Paul Skenes at last year's trade deadline, but they were rebuffed.
Considering Skenes is under team control through 2029 and has posted back-to-back sub-2.00 ERA seasons over his first two years, the Pirates' decision to essentially tell the Yankees to kick rocks is not surprising.
But New York is not going to give up in its pursuit of Skenes, who may very well be the best pitcher in all of baseball.
The problem is that Pittsburgh would ask for the farm and then some from the Yankees in any Skenes trade discussions, and you have to think that any package would be centered around Cam Schlittler.
A year ago, New York wouldn't have even blinked. Schlittler for Skenes? That would have been an easy decision. But after Schlittler dazzled in 14 regular-season starts last season and put forth a legendary performance in the playoffs, things have changed ... especially considering how great he has looked in his first two outings of 2026.
So, would the Yanks be willing to include Schlittler in a deal for Skenes?
Evan Roberts of WFAN doesn't think they should, going as far to say that he wouldn't trade Schlittler straight up for Skenes.
New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler. Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images.Pirates fans would surely scoff at that notion, and some Yankees fans might even think it's crazy talk. But is it really all that contentious?
Schlittler has proven he can pitch in the Bronx. Not only that, but he did it under the bright lights of October baseball, and during a winner-take-all game against the hated rival Boston Red Sox in last year's Wild Card Series, to boot.
Skenes has all of the talent in the world, but he has not had the opportunity to perform on the big stage yet. Chances are, he would be just fine, but you don't know.
Plus, wouldn't you want to pair Skenes with Schlittler at the top of the rotation if you are the Yankees? New York has tons of other young arms to included in a Skenes trade, so unless the Pirates absolutely insist on Schlittler, the Yanks should have enough to entice Pittsburgh into making a deal.
That is, of course, assuming that the Bucs actually make Skenes available at some point in the near future, which might not even happen.
Regardless, the fact that we are even having this discussion shows just how much traction Schlittler has gained since making his big-league debut last July.
Yankees Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Yankees. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.