Tarik Skubal is the biggest name on the trading block with the MLB trade deadline just 18 days away. Skubal is being seen as a high-priced rental, given that he will become a free agent at the end of the season. Of course, whichever team does have him under contract after the trade deadline will be on the inside track to re-signing him.
Despite the Detroit Tigers’ (44-52) being just 3.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot in a mediocre American League, Detroit will almost surely offload their ace in the coming days.
“They have to trade [Skubal],” one MLB executive told New York Post baseball columnist Jon Heyman. “They’re not going to win the World Series. Teams would be lining up for him. What are they going to do, let him walk out the door?”
One National League executive told The Athletic that Detroit’s asking price for Skubal is “outrageous.”
“No one is going to pay [the current asking price],” the executive told The Athletic. “What the Cubs did to get [Aroldis] Chapman, they were trying to break a 108-year curse. They were definitely overly aggressive. That kind of deal is not really happening anymore, especially going into a new CBA.”
If Detroit’s asking price drops over the next couple of weeks, expect even more teams to jump into the bidding war.
Here are some teams that could be interested.
Tarik Skubal to Chicago Cubs trade rumors
As mentioned above, the Cubs traded for Chapman 10 years ago in what was one of the wildest “rental trades” in the history of baseball. Chicago gave up Gleyber Torres, Adam Warren, Billy McKinney, and Rashad Crawford in the deal.
The sense of urgency to win in Chicago right now isn’t nearly as strong, but Heyman mentioned the Cubs as one of the “prime players” to be in the mix to land Skubal.
The Cubs are in need of pitching help as they sport a team ERA of 4.33, which ranks 21st in MLB. Despite the poor pitching, the Cubs are very much in the National League playoff mix with a 54-42 record. Chicago is -395 at Fanatics Sportsbook to make the playoffs.
Tarik Skubal to New York Yankees trade rumors
Heyman also mentioned the Yankees as a potential suitor for Skubal.
If the Yankees are truly serious about winning their first World Series crown since 2009, they will likely have to roll the dice and pay the price at the deadline.
The LA Dodgers are still seen as class above every other contender in baseball, as evidenced by the current World Series odds. The Dodgers are +200 to win it all, while the Yankees are second on the board at +560 (over double the price).
The Yankees’ rotation of Cam Schlitter, Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Ryan Weathers, Carlos Rodon, and Will Warren is already elite, but there are some major health concerns with that group.
Skubal would give the Yankees some of the best playoff pitching insurance in the history of baseball.
The pressure is mounting for New York to “go for it” while Aaron Judge is still in his prime.
Tarik Skubal to Red Sox trade rumors
Going back once again to the Chapman trade 10 years ago … who was in charge of the Cubs’ baseball decisions back then?
That would be Theo Epstein, who is currently a senior advisor and part-owner of Fenway Sports Group. It is unclear how much say Epstein—who served as Boston’s GM from 2002 to 2011—has in the current direction of the Red Sox, but Epstein was recently said to be unhappy with the direction of the club.
“Theo Epstein has been disappointed by the Sox’s intense analytical direction under [Craig] Breslow,” multiple sources told Tim Healey, of The Boston Globe in late May. “A minority owner and adviser who led the franchise to two World Series title as GM, Epstein has long been a mentor to Breslow, hiring him to the Cubs’ front office and helping him get the Sox job.”
Currently riding an MLB-high nine-game win streak, Boston is trying to make nice with a frustrated fan base that was chanting “sell the team” at Fenway Park earlier this season. Pulling off a trade for the best pitcher on the market would certainly go a long way in repairing that relationship.
Tarik Skubal to LA Dodgers trade rumors
The Dodgers are lurking in the shadows of a potential Skubal trade. Heyman wrote that a number of MLB teams believe that the Dodgers are currently “underselling their interest” in the Tigers’ lefty.
LA is focused on becoming the first MLB franchise since the 1998-2000 Yankees to win three World Series titles in a row and the Dodgers could be looking for a move to put them over the top.
Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow will soon be back in the rotation, but as we all know, you can never have enough starting pitching.
The Dodgers also have a loaded farm system that could help facilitate any blockbuster move.
Complex Bets is the premier destination for the intersection of sports, culture, and fandom, featuring original programming for the modern bettor and trader. Join our community of over 1 million fans by following @complexbets on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and X, and subscribe on YouTube for exclusive storytelling across sports and prediction markets.
