Yankees Roundtable Podcast, Ep. 6: Paul Skenes to New York?

The New York Yankees have a lot to achieve this offseason after watching the Toronto Blue Jays win the AL East, beat them in the ALDS and come within one inning of defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.

But what exactly will the Yankees do?

Will New York simply re-sign Cody Bellinger and mostly call it a day? Will the Yanks pursue Kyle Tucker? Or could they make a splash no one is expecting, like trading for Pittsburgh Pirates superstar Paul Skenes?

Matthew Schmidt and Jon Conahan broke it all down in the sixth installment of the Yankees Roundtable podcast.

The topics are as follows:

• Brian Cashman is not at the GM meetings this week, as he had some non-baseball related things to take care of. How much of an effect — if any — will Cashman's absence have on the Yankees' business in Las Vegas? Also, agent Scott Boras claimed that Bellinger is the best five-tool player available in free agency. What will this mean for Bellinger's market?

• There has been speculation that the Arizona Diamondbacks could trade star second baseman Ketel Marte. Could the Yankees get involved? And if so, where would they put Marte? Could they move Jazz Chisholm to third base in that instance? And what would it take for New York to acquire the MVP candidate?

• We already know the Yankees will be in on Tucker, but should they be careful? Is the four-time All-Star really worth $400 million, and would he really serve as that much of an upgrade over Bellinger? What other teams could potentially land Tucker in free agency? And what would adding Tucker mean for New York's outfield in general?

• The Yanks are rumored to be lowering payroll this offseason. Is this a bluff by Hal Steinbrenner? Or is it the real thing? If it's the latter, how should we expect the Yankees to fill out their roster? Will they re-sign Bellinger and then make some cheap signings here and there? Maybe Cashman will swing some shrewd trades, which he is known to do?

• Apparently, Skenes wants the Yankees. At least that's what an anonymous Pirates teammate says. Whether or not that's true is debatable, but it seems hard to imagine that this is a lie. Most star player would love to play in the Bronx, so it's not like Skenes would be unique in that capacity. The thing with Skenes is that he is not slated to hit free agency until 2030, so is there actually a realistic chance the Yankees can pull off a trade for the star pitcher?

All that and more in the latest episode of the Yankees Roundtable podcast.