Yankees Need Major Trade to Improve World Series Odds amid Skubal, Crochet MLB Rumors

The New York Yankees spent a big chunk of the 2024 MLB season's first half appearing as top-shelf World Series contenders.

They've also skidded enough recently that it might take a big trade to snap out of this.

After needing just 72 games to hit the 50-win mark, they've only added another 10 victories to their total over their last 31 outings. This is a certified slump, and while it won't necessarily be season-defying, it could spur this team into action ahead of next week's trade deadline.

New York seems ready to spend—and spend large at that. Prized prospect outfielders Jasson Dominguez and Spencer Jones "aren't entirely off the table," per ESPN's Jeff Passan.

The Yankees' wish list is extensive. Per Passan, the club is hunting for "late-inning relief help...a versatile infielder...and a productive bat." There's also "the potential to grab a high-end starting pitching."

An impact starter probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind with upgrading the roster, particularly for those who believe Gerrit Cole is rounding into form (two earned runs and 15 strikeouts over his last two outings). And yet, that might be where this market is strongest, so the Yankees have to explore the option.

They are apparently doing just that. Per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Yankees "are willing to include" Jones "for the first time" in a trade for ace starters Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox and Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers.

Either qualifies as a legitimate difference-maker. Crochet has a 3.07 ERA and 157 strikeouts over his 111.1 innings pitched. Skubal's 2.34 ERA is second-best in the majors, and he has tallied 146 strikeouts against just 22 walks over 123 innings.

These players are so good, in fact, that the Yankees maybe can't afford them.

Nightengale reported that even with Jones' inclusion, the White Sox "are holding out for a bigger package from the Yankees and others." Skubal, meanwhile, would surely cost even more—assuming he's even available.

Is it worth cobbling together multiple top prospects to bring in a player of this caliber? In a word: absolutely.

The Yankees' window to win is right now. Cole, who turns 34 in September, isn't getting any younger. The same goes for Giancarlo Stanton, a 34-year-old with a laundry list of injury issues in his past.

Juan Soto and Aaron Judge comprise one of baseball's best one-two punches, but it may not anchor this lineup for long. Soto is slated to reach free agency after this season. While New York could potentially keep him off the market, there haven't been "recent conversations" between the sides, and there is "no momentum toward a deal" at the moment, per ESPN's Buster Olney.

Not to mention, this World Series races feels wide open. Or at least more open that it might next season, when the Atlanta Braves (hopefully) have a healthy Ronald Acuña, the Los Angeles Dodgers potentially have Shohei Ohtani back on the mound (plus a healthier, more acclimated Yoshinobu Yamamoto) and some of baseball's younger rosters really start taking off.

The Yankees have given themselves a championship pulse. It might appear fading at the moment, but one productive trade deadline could get everything back on track.

That's a reward rich enough to justify the risk of someone like Dominguez or Jones starring elsewhere. Hang a World Series banner, and there is no looking back or second-guessing.