The New York Yankees should keep this player out of trade talks at all costs.
The New York Yankees may not be major players on the free-agent market this winter, as they could very well just re-sign Cody Bellinger and mostly call it a day.
But that does not mean the Yankees will not be very active on the trade front.
More specifically, New York will almost surely be pursuing some of the top pitchers potentially available via trade, whether that be Sandy Alcantara, Freddy Peralta, Joe Ryan or even Tarik Skubal (Paul Skenes is probably out of the question, ladies and gents).
Don't get it twisted: the Yankees absolutely have the goods to pull off a blockbuster trade. They are loaded with arms in their farm system, and they have both Jasson Dominguez and Spencer Jones — not to mention No. 1 prospect George Lombard Jr. — that they can dangle in trade packages.
But there is one player New York should unquestionably make untouchable in any potential deal, even for Skubal: Cam Schlittler.
It may sound crazy considering Schlittler wasn't even viewed as a genuinely elite prospect in the Yankees' system upon entering the big leagues last year. In fact, he wasn't even viewed as one of their top five pitching prospects.
But the right-hander took the MLB by storm in 2025, logging a 2.96 ERA while allowing 58 hits and registering 84 strikeouts over 73 innings in 14 regular-season starts. He then flipped a switch in the playoffs, posting a 1.26 ERA in two starts and tossing eight shutout innings against the Boston Red Sox in the deciding game of the Wild Card Series.
The fact that Schlittler was able to be so dominant under the bright lights of October baseball in spite of having no experience marked him as someone New York should not move under any circumstances. Well, unless Skenes was made available, but that isn't happening.
Even if the Detroit Tigers insist on the Yanks including Schlittler in a package for Skubal, the Yankees shouldn't do it. Skubal is 29 years old and is slated to hit free agency next offseason. He is also a Scott Boras client, so the chances of him signing an extension upon being acquired via trade are basically zilch. New York has been down that road before (see: Soto, Juan).
The Yanks have a wealth of hurlers in their organization they can move. Carlos Lagrange, Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz and Bryce Cunningham are all top-of-the-line talents in the farm system, and let's remember that both Will Warren and Luis Gil are potential trade candidates, as well. The Yankees also have depth pieces like Chase Hampton, Ben Hess and Thatcher Hurd that can be inlcuded.
Basically, anyone but Schlittler.
Schlittler has the chance to become a genuine frontline starter, and it would not be entirely shocking to me if the 24-year-old is the best pitcher on New York's staff within a year.