About the Off-Season: Last Minute Moves

About the Off-Season: Last Minute Moves

By Tim Kabel

February 6, 2026

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On Wednesday, there were a couple of last-minute moves in the Major Leagues that could have ramifications for the Yankees.

The lesser of the two moves was the signing of Miguel Andujar by the San Diego Padres. In case you don't remember, Miguel Andujar broke in with the Yankees in 2018 and was runner up in the Rookie of the Year voting to Shohei Ohtani. Injuries, defensive limitations, and poor performance derailed Andujar’s career with the Yankees. He has bounced around the Major Leagues since then and last year played with the Oakland A’s and then provided a major offensive spark to the Cincinnati Reds in their playoff run. He would have been an ideal fit for the Yankees because he can play third base, first base, corner outfield positions, and DH. Remember, the Yankees wanted to get a right-handed bat in here.

Perhaps he was too expensive. That makes sense. I'm sure the huge salary that he received from the Padres was too much for the Yankees. Actually, Andujar signed for $4 million. I think we should change the nickname of the Yankees from the Bronx Bombers to the Bronx Bookkeepers.

So, the Yankees did not sign Andujar. They didn't sign anybody.

The other big move was the signing of Framber Valdez by the Detroit Tigers. This is interesting. The Tigers went to arbitration with Tarik Skubal because they did not want to pay him $32 million for the 2026 season. The offer from the Tigers was $19 million. The decision in that arbitration hearing was just announced. Skubal won. The Tigers will be paying Skubal $32 million for this season, or some other team will.

So, let's get this straight. The Tigers offered Tarik Skubal, the reigning two-time American League Cy Young Award winner $19 million for this season. Then, they turned around and signed Framber Valdez to a three-year contract worth $38 million a year. Valdez is a good pitcher. He's a very good pitcher but he is not the reigning two-time Cy Young award winner. Skubal is. Not only is Valdez earning more than Skubal was offered by the Tigers, he is earning twice as much.

There are a lot of ways to interpret this. Maybe the Tigers figured that one way or the other, if they won or lost the arbitration hearing against Skubal, this will be his last year as a Tiger. Maybe, signing Valdez is their way of taking a real shot at winning the World Series. If they realize that Skubal will probably be gone after 2026, why not make the team as strong as possible and make a run for it the championship?

Another way to look at it is that although Valdez is not as good as Skubal, he is still very good. Maybe the Tigers think that once the arbitration hearing was over, they could trade Skubal for a boatload of prospects and Major League ready players. Although Valdez Is not as good as Skubal, maybe the Tigers believe that the combination of Valdez and whatever players they get for Skubal in the trade will be better than Skubal. At the very least, the combination of Valdez and those unknown players will be with the Tigers longer than Skubal will. It remains to be seen what the Tigers are going to do.

This is where the signing of Valdez by the Tigers could have ramifications for the Yankees.

Let's say that the Tigers decided to trade Skubal after the arbitration decision was announced. Since Skubal won and is going to receive $32 million for 2026, will the Yankees trade for him? No, Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman will hide in their offices, shut the lights off and pretend they are not there.

The sad reality for the Yankees these days is that the ramification the Valdez signing by the Tigers will have for the Yankees is that one of their rivals could wind up with Skubal.

I feel very confident saying that the Yankees won't acquire him. The Yankees are no longer movers and shakers. They are bystanders who pick up the scraps that the other teams leave behind.

The Yankees used to be lions; now they are jackals. Let's say the Blue Jays or the Orioles or the Dodgers trade for Skubal. Whichever team acquires Skubal will move further ahead of the Yankees. The point is that once the dust settles on all of this, the Yankees could be left in the dust even more so than they already are.

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