What might Tigers look for in a possible Skubal trade? Here's a glimpse
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It remains the No. 1 question on everyone's lips as we get closer to the Deadline: Will the Tigers actually trade two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal?
ESPN's Alden Gonzalez reported on Tuesday that the “growing sentiment among rival executives” is that the Tigers will hang onto their ace and try to make a playoff push.
However, ESPN still gives Skubal a 60% chance of being traded. MLB Network insider Jon Paul Morosi said during Wednesday's edition of MLB Central that multiple general managers believe "there is a slightly better than 50-50 chance that Skubal will be moved." In short, it's still anyone's guess as to whether a deal will go down.
But if it does, it may not signal that the Tigers are giving up on this year. According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon, Detroit is “at least mulling the possibility” of a Skubal swap that keeps the club competitive for the rest of this year as well as into the future.
Multiple rival executives briefed on the Tigers’ thinking told Rosenthal and Sammon that the Tigers could accomplish their goal by trading their ace for an MLB-ready starting pitcher and multiple prospects. To that end, Gonzalez reports that the Tigers "wouldn't trade Skubal without also landing a young, ready-made replacement for their rotation."
The Athletic mentions the Yankees’ Ryan Weathers and the Phillies’ Andrew Painter as pitchers who could fill the void in Detroit’s rotation for this season and for seasons to come. But rival evaluators told Gonzalez that the team that matches up best for a Skubal deal is the Dodgers.
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The back-to-back World Series champions have nine players on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list. They also have multiple controllable starting pitchers who have already shown a lot of promise in the big leagues. That group includes Emmet Sheehan and 2026 All-Star Justin Wrobleski.
The Tigers are 4-4 in their past eight games. With only 12 days remaining until the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline, they are five games out of a playoff spot. They also have five teams standing between them and a postseason berth.