Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal is expected to be the top starter available at this year’s MLB trade deadline.
The Tigers have been back and forth on trading Skubal, but MLB insiders Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic revealed what it would take for a team to land Skubal.
“The way they would do it, according to two rival executives briefed on the Tigers’ thinking, is by trading Skubal for a controllable starting pitcher plus quality prospects. The starter would replace Skubal in the rotation, backfilling his innings but almost certainly providing lesser performance,” they wrote.
Skubal himself admitted he has “zero appetite” to be traded at the deadline, but if the Tigers get a gigantic offer, it might make sense to move him and bring back assets in return.
Jon Heyman recently named the Chicago Cubs as his top suitor for a Skubal trade, but The Athletic didn’t mention the Cubs in this piece.
The Tampa Bay Rays have also emerged as a team interested in Tarik Skubal in a bit of a surprising twist, so there are going to be plenty of teams interested in the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner.
Entering Wednesday, the Tigers are five games back of an American League Wild Card spot, so the next few days could decide whether or not they decide to buy or sell ahead of the August 3 deadline.
