Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK
Detroit Tigers ace pitcher Tarik Skubal is coming off his first career All-Star appearance. The 27-year-old lefty had been good over the previous two seasons. But he’s on a completely different level in 2024.
It has led to speculation that the still-rebuilding Tigers might look to move their best asset ahead of the MLB trade deadline on July 30.
Most recently, a report linked Skubal to the World Series-contending Baltimore Orioles. They are set to make a big offer to Detroit in order to land a player who could end up being a franchise cornerstone. Baltimore has one of the best farm systems in baseball. This could end up enticing Detroit.
At issue here is going to be the cost to acquire a player who is under contract through the 2026 season and is just now hitting his prime. Rarely does a pitcher of Skubal’s ilk hit the trade market.
We’re now hearing some more on what it might cost a team to acquire Skubal from Detroit within the next two weeks.
Related: Latest MLB trade rumors
Jon Morosi of MLB Network had a pretty interesting tidbit on what a Skubal trade could look like. The insider indicated that it could mirror what the San Diego Padres gave up to acquire Juan Soto from the Washington Nationals back in 2022.
Washington picked up top prospects C.J. Abrams, James Wood, MacKenzie Gore, Robert Hassell and Jarlin Susana in the deal. At the time, this represented four of the Padres’ top-five prospects.
That would be a whole heck of a lot for teams to pay. But Skubal could also be worth it moving forward this season and over the long haul.
Tarik Skubal stats (2024): 10-3 record, 2.41 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 140 strikeouts, 116 innings
As you can see, he’s been absolutely dominant this season.
Outside of Baltimore, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been linked to the ace. It makes sense with four Dodgers starters currently on the injured list.