Yankees Should Trade Top Prospects For CJ Abrams, Not Tarik Skubal
Yankees Should Trade Top Prospects For CJ Abrams, Not Tarik Skubal
New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman would be wise to pursue a deal with the Washington Nationals for shortstop CJ Abrams.Michael Rosenstein|
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New York YankeesThe clock is ticking. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman knows this. Question is, what will he decide to do before the Aug. 3 trade deadline?
The MLB rumor mill is already churning potential deals left and right. Some of them have the Yankees chasing Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal.
While there's no doubt Skubal would be an instant upgrade to the starting rotation, Cashman would be wise to invest his resources elsewhere.
Where exactly, you ask? Our nation's capital, where Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams plays.
Why not Skubal?
There's no doubting Skubal's resume. The two-time American League Cy Young Award winner would give the Yankees an unrivaled rotation. Imagine going into the postseason with five aces: Skubal, Gerrit Cole, Cam Schlittler, Carlos Rodón and Max Fried. That's really tempting.
But here's the problem. Skubal will be a free agent after the season. This could be Juan Soto all over again. There's no guarantee Skubal would be anything more than a rental. If the Tigers are demanding top-100 prospects in return (which the New York Post's Jon Heyman is reporting), would the Yankees really want to trade their future for a three-month run with Skubal?
On top of that, let's face it: the Yankees don't need Skubal. Their rotation is already one of the best in the big leagues. And you don't need a five-man rotation in the postseason. Cashman would be wise to invest his time and resources fixing one of the gaping holes on the roster.
Why Abrams makes sense
It's no secret the Yankees aren't satisfied with Anthony Volpe at shortstop. Yes, José Caballero has been doing a nice job, hitting .264 with seven home runs this season. But the utility infielder owns a lifetime .234 batting average and .670 OPS.
Volpe owns similarly underwhelming lifetime numbers: .223 batting average and .663 OPS. It's time for the Yankees to admit what many fans already know: Volpe is not the future at shortstop and the club can no longer try to hide it with role players.
That brings us to Abrams. He's hitting .285 this season with 14 home runs and .876 OPS. The former All-Star has hit at least 18 home runs in each of the three previous seasons. He's a lifetime .253 hitter with .736 OPS. While those aren't Derek Jeter numbers, they represent a significant upgrade from Volpe.
On top of that, Abrams is a left-handed bat and would provide first baseman Ben Rice, a surging AL MVP candidate, some insurance in case aging slugger Paul Goldschmidt starts regressing before Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge return from the injured list.
And keep in mind Abrams is just 25 years old and is under team control through the 2028 season. So he is both young and cheap, relatively speaking. What's not to love about that?
Potential trade bait
Of course, to get something you have to give up something. If Cashman is willing to trade anyone but top prospect George Lombard Jr., he would be better off betting the farm on a player who will spend at least the next three years in the Bronx rather than a top-gun ace who will demand a nine-figure contract in the offseason with no guarantee he will sign on the dotted line.
According to MLB Pipeline, the Yankees have four top-100 prospects: Lombard (No. 18), right-hander Elmer Rodríguez (No. 60), shortstop Dax Kilby (No. 67) and right-hander Carlos Lagrange (No. 73). Assuming Cashman won't trade Lombard, the other top prospects should be on the table.
Certainly they won't need Kilby if the are trading for Abrams, so why not put together a deal built around him and one of the top pitching prospects? And before you complain about giving up on a top arm, consider this: Schlittler is the first home-grown Yankees starter since Andy Pettitte. Prospects aren't guarantees. Sometimes they hit, sometimes they miss. But there's no doubting Abrams and what he would bring to the lineup.
The Yankees have a 15.6% chance of winning the World Series, according to FanGraphs. Only the Los Angeles Dodgers (24.3%) have better odds. Would Skubal close the gap? Absolutely. But Abrams would do the same while also setting the Yankees up for years to come.
Published Jun 18, 2026
MICHAEL ROSENSTEINProfessor and award-winning multimedia journalist with three decades of success leading newsrooms, control rooms and classrooms.
Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price subsidising their life by livestreaming
Venezuela Fury and her husband Noah Price look to be making their own way in the world by raking it in from their lucrative social media accounts.
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury, 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year.
Since getting married and moving in together the couple have been earning thousands of pounds a month, livestreaming their life as newlyweds in their static caravan in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
And fans can't get enough of their regular life updates on TikTok and Kick, which have proved to be very profitable for the pair.
They look to be supporting themselves after Noah denied that he was given £5million by Venezuela's family as a wedding gift.
Despite his wife's huge family wealth, an estimated combined £160 million, Noah recently told his Kick followers that he 'pays for everything' for the couple.
Making light of the claims about Venezuela's millionaire financial status, Noah said: 'I actually pay for everything unfortunately. You'd expect the millionaire to pay for it wouldn't you.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price are earning thousands livestreaming their caravan life - after her new groom insisted he pays all the bills and denied he had £5m handout from her dad
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury , 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year
Venezuela then asked their fans: 'Do you think I am a millionaire?'
Noah joked: 'She isn't a secret millionaire guys', before she broke into song and sang: 'But I live like a millionaire!'
But it seems according to estimated calculations from their social media work, Noah and Venezuela can more than afford to support themselves.
Noah has been livestreaming on platforms such as Kick and TikTok, where viewers can send paid gifts or donations.
He was previously encouraging viewers to send gifts on his honeymoon during livestreams, suggesting this is one revenue stream.
Both Noah and Venezuela have built substantial followings on Instagram and TikTok. They can potentially earn money through sponsored posts, brand collaborations, affiliate links and creator payouts.
Kick allows its creators to take home 95 per cent of the £4.99 subscription cost that fans pay.
Streamers keep 100 per cent of direct tips and donations, minus minor standard payment processing fees.
It is unclear how many subscribers Noah currently has because this information is hidden, but he does have 7,200 followers which is publicly viewable.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million
In one video on their honeymoon, Noah asked his followers if they'd give them some more gifts now that they were married.
In a TikTok live viewed by 20,000 he said: 'Keep liking our videos people, keep sending gifts.'
After saying thank you to several of his followers he joked they should stick around on the livestream and 'watch Venezuela punch me in the mouth'.
The other half of the honeymooning couple said: 'I am, honestly!'
Noah previously confirmed that the pair don't share their finances after they were asked whether they have a shared bank account.
'She earns her money, I earn mine,' said Noah, as Venezuela joked: 'Yeah, what you gonna do about it.'
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'.
Meanwhile Venezuela is being eyed up by executives for a fly on the wall TV series.
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'
Boasting 1.3 million TikTok followers, Venezuela is already entertaining fans with her honest musings and candid moments, from cooking to kitting out her and Noah's static caravan home.
And following the success of the Netflix series At Home With The Furys, it is no wonder bosses are wanting to draw on the Fury popularity.
A TV insider said: 'The couple are not A-list celebrities but everyone has become obsessed with their love story.
'People are genuinely intrigued by them. Whether it’s the fact they have married so young, Venezuela’s famous family or their gypsy lifestyle, they have the ‘X factor'.
'Several TV executives think a proper fly-on-the-wall series following their lives as newlyweds in the gypsy community would be fascinating,' they told The Sun.
It is thought Netflix would be likely to produce the series due to their already established relationship with the Furys.
Venezuela's representatives told The Daily Mail: 'We have many offers on the table regarding Venezuela which we are discussing.'
