The Detroit Tigers are not going anywhere this season, as the team sits at a mediocre 47-50 record, seven games out of the final Wild Card spot. However, star pitcher Tarik Skubal could find himself on a contender sooner rather than later.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles are gearing up to offer prospects for Detroit's homegrown ace, via Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci.
“Sources from the Dodgers and Orioles confirmed they are interested in putting together packages loaded with top prospects for Skubal,” Verducci said. “There is no indication yet whether Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris will move Skubal, though both Los Angeles and Baltimore have the rich prospect capital to make such a trade discussion interesting.”
The 27-year-old is under contract through 2026, so the Tigers are in no rush to move him.
“The source said it is doubtful the Tigers move Skubal but added, ‘Everything has a price,'” Verducci continued.
Skubal is in the midst of his best season yet, turning in a 10-3 record with a 2.41 ERA and 0.88 WHIP. The 2024 All-Star has been the centerpiece of Detroit's rebuild, leading a pitching staff that ranks 14th in the league with a 3.95 ERA. However, the club doesn't have the offense to contend, as it ranks 24th with a .234 batting average and tied for 22nd with a .686 OPS.
Can the Tigers improve enough within the next two years to convince Skubal to stay? How many players would Los Angeles or Baltimore have to give up to make a deal happen?
The Tigers could land a king's ransom of prospects for Skubal
The Dodgers and Orioles are both serious contenders to win it all this October and adding Skubal could be the last piece they need to push them over the edge. However, they'd need to mortgage their futures for a possible 2.5-year rental.
Los Angeles has at least eight players that could be used in a Skubal deal, via Dodger Blue's Blake Williams.
“For the Dodgers, they would likely need to part ways with multiple highly regarded assets, including players such as Bobby Miller, Gavin Stone, Dalton Rushing, Josue De Paula, River Ryan, Emmet Sheehan, Dustin May and others along those lines,” Williams said. “This is not a deal that would get done with a few prospects and Gavin Lux or James Outman, although either could certainly be added in to sweeten the deal for the Tigers.”
Rushing, a Double-A catcher/first baseman, and De Paula, a High-A outfielder, are both two of the most heralded prospects in baseball. However, Baltimore has an even deeper farm system to work with, via Audacy.com.
“The Orioles have the best farm system in baseball, featuring three top-15 prospects per MLB Pipeline: Triple-A shortstop Jackson Holliday, Double-A catcher/first baseman Sammy Basallo and Triple-A corner infielder Coby Mayo,” the site pointed out.
Holliday is widely considered baseball's top prospect. Additionally, the O's could offer injured MLB outfielder Heston Kjertsad, as well as High-A outfielder Enrique Bradfield.
If the Tigers facilitate a bidding war between these two clubs, they could end up with the biggest prospect haul since the Washington Nationals when they dealt Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres. Washington, of course, landed now-All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams and outfielder James Wood, who got called up this year after being ranked as the league's second-best prospect.
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