The Baltimore Orioles are in an excellent position to make a big move ahead of the MLB trade deadline. However, amid all the MLB rumors of potential Orioles trade targets, it appears one of the players Baltimore covets the most isn’t available.
As the trade deadline nears, many look to the MLB standings to gauge which teams will be sellers. based on where things stand entering MLB games today, clubs like the Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays appear to be obvious candidates to sell off talent.
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If those teams decide to ship off talent at the MLB trade deadline, starting pitchers like Max Scherzer, Kevin Gausman, Tarik Skubal and Nathan Eovaldi would be obvious Orioles trade targets. Unfortunately for Baltimore, the market doesn’t seem to be shaking out very well.
Texas is more than likely to operate as cautious buyers, banking on several contributors returning from injuries for a summer turnaround. Meanwhile, Toronto is only open to trading away its best players who are in the final year of their contract.
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As for Skubal, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN reports that the Tigers are very unlikely to move Skubal this summer. While a deal could be revisited this offseason, Detroit seemingly has no intention of trading away its ace.
- Tarik Skubal stats: 2.41 ERA, 0.879 WHIP, 6.3 H/9, 10.9 K/9, 6.67 K/BB
Skubal, age 23, has been phenomenal over the last two seasons. On a struggling Tigers team, the 6-foot-3 southpaw owns a 2.57 ERA with a 242-35 K-BB ratio in his last 196.1 innings pitched. In Baltimore, he would be a perfect No. 2 starter in October and he could be the club’s long-term ace.
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- Tarik Skubal contract: $2.65 million salary in 2024, arbitration-eligible (2025-’26)
While a package of the Orioles top prospects would theoretically be enough to land Skubal, Detroit seems uninterested in making a deal. While there are alternatives for the Orioles, like All-Star pitcher Garrett Crochet, there’s a drop-off after Skubal that Baltimore now has to deal with.