Matt Johnson
Detroit Tigers‘ starting pitcher Tarik Skubal will be the most coveted player at the MLB trade deadline this summer, with the likes of the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Milwaukee Brewers viewed as potential landing spots. However, there’s reportedly a sleeper team in the mix for the Cy Young Award winner.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today spoke to multiple MLB executives who named the Atlanta Braves as the “sleeper” team to acquire Skubal this summer. There’s also some insight into what it will cost Atlanta to acquire him.
Read More: MLB Trades to Strengthen World Series Contenders
- Tarik Skubal stats (ESPN): 3.02 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, .235 batting average allowed in 53.2 innings
Skubal missed just over a month after undergoing surgery to remove loose bodies from his pitching elbow. In two starts since coming off the injured list, he’s allowed 12 hits and 5 earned runs with a 12-2 K-BB ratio, registering a 4.35 ERA across 10.1 innings. In that two-start stretch, he’s allowed 3 home runs after surrendering just two in his previous seven starts combined.
Atlanta’s starting rotation is currently without Spencer Strider (elbow), Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow), and AJ Smith-Shawver (elbow). None of them are expected to come off the injured list until after the All-Star Break, but Schwellenbach faces the longest timeline to return as he is still limited to throwing from flat ground.
As far as what it would cost the Braves to acquire Skubal, who is on an expiring deal, Nightengale reported that it would require a pair of top-10 prospects with one of those being one of the consensus top 100 MLB prospects in 2026. That could mean parting ways with a package of a right-handed pitcher, JR Ritchie, and a lesser top-10 prospect like outfielder Diego Tornes or shortstop John Gil.
It would be a premium price, considering Atlanta would almost certainly let Skubal walk in MLB free agency and he couldn’t receive a qualifying offer since he was acquired in-season. With that said, he is a piece that could put the Braves over the top in the National League and give them a better chance to win the World Series.
