An ace pitcher on a non-playoff team is always subject to trade rumors. That is the case for Tarik Skubal, the Detroit Tigers' Cy Young Award candidate who is a hot-button topic days before the MLB trade deadline. Even though there hasn’t been much traction on an actual deal taking place, Skubal's name continues to be mentioned in trade talks.
In the same breath, the Baltimore Orioles have been mentioned on more than one occasion as an ideal landing spot if Skubal were to be traded. They have plenty of prospect capital to acquire a No. 1 pitcher with multiple years of control and are in a position to be a consistent World Series contender for the foreseeable future. It seems like a perfect match for all parties.
Among those prospects is Jackson Holliday, the consensus top prospect in Minor League Baseball. It's unthinkable for a team to trade the undisputed top prospect in baseball, but it might be worth it for a talent like Tarik Skubal.
MLB insider Jeff Passan reports that such a swap is unrealistic, even though it's a fun hypothetical to throw around.
“The discussion is more bar chatter than realistic,” Passan wrote. “The Tigers would want more than Holliday — if only to mitigate the risk if he busts — and the Orioles would blanch at even considering moving him. Even if it's moot, though, it's still fun to consider, if only because the game is yearning for a big move with no others on the horizon.”
The Orioles promoted Holliday in April but his first stint in the big leagues lasted two weeks. The 20-year-old is back to form in Triple-A after missing time with an injury, though Baltimore is in no rush to bring him back to the majors or trade him.
Orioles still kicking the tires on Skubal?
There is a world in which the Orioles can acquire Tarik Skubal without giving up Jackson Holliday. Who would blame the Tigers for inquiring about Holliday or the Orioles for balking at the idea of including him in a trade? Negotiations between sides shouldn’t start and end there.
It's unlikely that the Tigers will move Skubal given they plan on contending as soon as next year. Winning the AL Central in 2025 is a reachable goal for Detroit with a strong offseason, but it becomes difficult to envision if Skubal is out of the picture.
Ace pitchers are hard to come by and with top prospect Jackson Jobe inching toward becoming a regular in the Tigers rotation, they could soon have a formidable 1-2 punch. Why get rid of that idea before even seeing it come to fruition?
If there's any team that can acquire Skubal without losing their top prospect it's the Orioles. Baltimore will undoubtedly throw everything at Detroit as long as the Tigers stay on the line. The Orioles shouldn’t use all their time over the next four days trying to get Tarik Skubal, but they might not want to leave any stones unturned in their pursuit of the possible AL Cy Young Award winner.
Barring a drastic offer or change or direction in the plans for the organization, Tarik Skubal will remain with the Tigers past July 30. That won’t stop insane rumors like a one-for-one Skubal-Holliday deal from popping up.
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