​Why Yankees might be Tarik Skubal’s ‘fallback’ option in free agency originally appeared on The Sporting News.
Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.There might not be a team more often linked to the game’s top superstars, whether it’s in free agency or in trade rumors, than the New York Yankees. MLB stars are routinely linked to the Yankees, regardless of what it would take for them to get there.So, it should not be a surprise that the Yankees are, once again, being linked to Tarik Skubal. This time, however, it’s not in the form of an offseason or mid-season trade. Instead, it’s as a free-agent landing spot.ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel revealed that MLB insiders don’t believe the Yankees are a top-tier landing spot for Skubal this offseason. But he did share that the Yankees might be Skubal’s “fallback” option this offseason if his top options pivot elsewhere.Why Yankees might be Tarik Skubal’s ‘fallback’ free-agent option”For those who thought the Dodgers wouldn’t break the bank, and the Mets would only offer AAV-record deals, the Yankees were a common fallback,” McDaniel shared.McDaniel’s poll of various MLB insiders brought back some interesting information on Skubal’s free-agent market this upcoming offseason.While the Yankees are not among the top-tier contenders, like the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers, they are a possible fallback option for Skubal.Skubal is going to try to break the bank this offseason, but with the Mets potentially only looking to do a short-term, high AAV deal, and the Dodgers facing some uncertainty with their ownership group, the Yankees might be a realistic landing spot.MORE: How Mets, Dodgers and Guardians all made same brutal trade mistake amid MVP racesA return to the Detroit Tigers is an option as well, though there might be burnt bridges between Skubal and the Tigers’ front office, leaving the Yankees as a natural fallback for Skubal this upcoming offseason.Other teams are bound to get involved, like the Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, San Diego Padres, and a few other top-tier teams looking for starting pitching help.But compared to the rest of the field, MLB insiders tabbed the Yankees as a legitimate fallback option this offseason for Skubal. It might not be his first choice, but Skubal to the Yankees is very much within the realm of possibility this offseason.More MLB news:Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski makes all kinds of MLB history with 1,000 pitches of 100 mphWhite Sox reportedly have ‘no urgency’ to sign Munetaka Murakami to an extensionHow Randal Grichuk has been a ‘godsend’ for the White Sox after Yankees releaseMariners’ Josh Naylor joins Hall of Famer George Sisler with rare SB MLB historyDodgers’ $5.5M postseason hero Miguel Rojas may not retire under one condition