8 Last-Ditch Tarik Skubal Trades That Make Sense for Tigers
The clock is ticking on the Detroit Tigers' Tarik Skubal decision. And if they're going to move him before Opening Day, they might have to get realistic.
This is a takeaway from a piece by Jim Bowden of The Athletic, who writes that "it is unlikely a trade happens unless Detroit lowers its sights significantly." For context, Jon Heyman of The New York Post noted the New York Yankees got the impression a Skubal trade would cost "half the team."
On one hand, the Tigers aren't wrong to aim high with their ask for the two-time AL Cy Young Award winner. On the other, Skubal is slated for free agency after 2026, and he and the team are far apart just in their arbitration filings. An actual long-term contract is another matter entirely.
So, for what might be the last time, let's pitch eight last-ditch trade proposals for Skubal and rank them according to how much sense they make for Detroit.
Note: Prospect rankings are according to MLB Pipeline.
8. Baltimore Orioles
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Trade Proposal: Baltimore Orioles get LHP Tarik Skubal; Detroit Tigers get OF Dylan Beavers (MLB No. 69), RHP Trey Gibson, LHP Luis De Leon
Why It Works
Though the Orioles are already one of the big winners of the offseason, they still haven't added the top-of-the-rotation starter that they need in front of Trevor Rogers and Kyle Bradish.
Skubal is their best possible option, and the O's would not be kidding themselves if they reasoned that the time is right to go all-in on renting him. They may have finished in last place in 2025, but early projections for 2026 rate them as a top-10 team.
For the Tigers, the idea would be to counter the loss of Skubal from the rotation by adding Beavers to the offense. It does need another bat, and he offers instant upside as a high-OBP type with solid power as a regular outfielder.
Though neither is a top-100 prospect, Gibson and De Leon are among Baltimore's five best prospects for Baseball America. As a big guy with big stuff, Gibson would carry special appeal as a candidate to help Detroit's rotation as soon as this year.
Who Says No?
The Tigers, obviously.
This wouldn't be a bad return for Skubal, but it's nowhere near good enough to keep their contention hopes alive in 2026. None of those three players is established, and even the ostensible prize (Beavers) isn't quite an elite prospect.
7. Chicago Cubs
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Trade Proposal: Chicago Cubs get LHP Tarik Skubal; Detroit Tigers get INF Matt Shaw, RHP Jaxon Wiggins (MLB No. 58), OF Ethan Conrad
Why It Works
Like the Orioles, the Cubs have already been one of the offseason's big winners, but right now they feel more like a team built to win the NL Central than one ready to knock off the Dodgers.
A trade for Skubal would change that conversation. He'd immediately become the No. 1 in a rotation that doesn't have a clear pick for the role as of now. And after Cubs starters fanned only 7.5 batters per nine innings in 2025, it would be nice to have a strikeout god like Skubal as a Game 1 starter in October.
Since Shaw is out of a starting job following the signing of Alex Bregman, he'd be an easy sacrifice for the Cubs and a good get for the Tigers. He was a terrific defender as a rookie in 2025, and his bat recovered from a slow start to post a .839 OPS in the second half.
For their parts, Wiggins is a near-MLB-ready starter with a 100 mph fastball and Conrad was the Cubs' No. 17 pick just last year. Despite a history of injuries in college, his bat should play in the pros.
Who Says No?
Again, it's the Tigers.
This package is better than any the Orioles can offer, but it doesn't instantly answer the question of who would take his spot in Detroit. There's no way the Tigers should move him unless they're getting some kind of established arm back.
6. Seattle Mariners
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Trade Proposal: Seattle Mariners get LHP Tarik Skubal; Detroit Tigers get OF Randy Arozarena, RHP Bryce Miller, OF Lazaro Montes (MLB No. 43)
Why It Works
Does this one look weird? It probably does, but that's because it's hard to imagine the Mariners taking on Skubal without also dumping some salary.
Skubal could make $32 million in 2026 if he wins his arbitration case, whereas Arozarena and Miller are on the books for $18.1 million. If it means putting Skubal at the head of an already elite rotation, you gladly take the $14 million step up if you're Seattle.
If you're Detroit, this trade nets an All-Star hitter in Arozarena, who is also headed into his walk year. He'd be an instant upgrade for the middle of the lineup, while Miller—who was quietly Seattle's best pitcher in 2024 before running into elbow trouble in 2025—would step right into Skubal's shoes in the rotation.
Miller would remain under the Tigers' control through 2029, while Montes could be ready as soon as this year. He's one of the best pure sluggers in the minors, with some likening him to Yordan Alvarez.
Who Says No?
Probably both teams, but more so the Mariners.
They've been adamant that they won't subtract from their major league roster in any trades, which instantly nixes the Arozarena/Miller component of this proposal. More generally, the franchise also just seems too risk-averse to go all-in on a rental.
5. Philadelphia Phillies
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Trade Proposal: Philadelphia Phillies get LHP Tarik Skubal; Detroit Tigers get 3B Alec Bohm, RHP Andrew Painter (MLB No. 28), RHP Gage Wood
Why It Works
The Phillies are the team that should want to go all-out for one year of Skubal. Their aging core is running out of chances to win the World Series, so might as well make 'em count.
Plus, are we sure the Phillies are solid in their rotation? Cristopher Sánchez is a legit top-of-the-rotation starter, but Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola have durability concerns and Jesús Luzardo is unpredictable. Ranger Suárez is, of course, gone.
For the Tigers, Bohm would instantly take over as their new third baseman, while Painter would basically be a lottery ticket for their rotation. He didn't have the smoothest return from Tommy John surgery in 2025, but he's still only 22 and he still has the familiar markers of a No. 1 starter.
Wood is a heck of a pitching prospect in his own right. He was the No. 25 pick in the draft last year, and his big fastball could make him a closer if starting doesn't work out.
Who Says No?
The Tigers, and with good reason.
Though this is a decent enough package for Skubal on paper, it is riddled with uncertainty. Bohm is a low-floor, medium-ceiling type who'll be a free agent after 2026. Painter's stock is nowhere near what it was pre-surgery. And while Wood has talent in spades, he has only made one appearance as a pro.
4. New York Yankees
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Trade Proposal: New York Yankees get LHP Tarik Skubal; Detroit Tigers get RHP Cam Schlittler, SS George Lombard Jr. (MLB No. 32), OF Spencer Jones
Why It Works
As Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reported on January 23, the Yankees' attempt to engage with the Tigers on Skubal returned a harsh message: "they don't have the necessary trade chips."
If any package can make Detroit change its stance, though, one headlined by Schlittler and Lombard is the Yankees' best hope.
Schlittler was an anonymous prospect this time last year, but then he was the best (and certainly most exciting) pitcher the Yankees had by the end of the year. He'll only turn 25 on February 5, so he has his whole career ahead of him.
Though there are questions about Lombard's hit tool, he projects as a power bat on the middle of the infield. Jones is not the prospect Yankees fans make him out to be, but he also has a powerful bat—and his could be ready for The Show as soon as Opening Day.
Who Says No?
Detroit seems like the obvious answer, but the Yankees might not do this deal either.
An all-in bet on Skubal would be similar to the one the Yankees made on Juan Soto two winters ago. That worked out in that it helped get them to the World Series, but then they learned that all the goodwill they thought they bought counted for nothing once Soto hit free agency and found a better offer.
3. Boston Red Sox
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Trade Proposal: Boston Red Sox get LHP Tarik Skubal; Detroit Tigers get OF Jarren Duran, RHP Brayan Bello, RHP Marcus Phillips
Why It Works
The Red Sox have spent the winter doubling…heck, tripling down on starting pitching. Yet even though Garrett Crochet and Ranger Suárez are a formidable duo, the strength of Boston's rotation is more about depth than overwhelming quality.
A trade for Skubal would be meant to give them the best of both worlds, with the ultimate hope being that he and Crochet could do a Randy Johnson-Curt Schilling thing in October.
Duran and Bello have both appeared in trade rumors throughout the winter, and each would find more certain roles awaiting them in Detroit. Both would also stick around for a while, as each is controlled through at least 2028.
As deal-sweeteners go, Phillips would be sweet indeed. He was Boston's No. 33 pick in the 2025 draft, and he has both the frame (6'4", 250) and upper 90s fastball to project as at least an impact reliever in the long run.
Who Says No?
Probably the Red Sox.
Even setting aside that the Red Sox need a bat a lot more than another arm, this is another case where a recent history of risk-aversion rears its head. The Red Sox of the 2020s are too measured with their swings to take a big one on a rental like Skubal.
2. New York Mets
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Trade Proposal: New York Mets get LHP Tarik Skubal; Detroit Tigers get RHP Clay Holmes, OF Carson Benge (MLB No. 16), RHP Jonah Tong (MLB No. 48)
Why It Works
In a span of about a week earlier this month, the Mets went from being one of the big losers of the offseason to one of the obvious winners.
All the same, a trade for Skubal would be meant to answer the question of whether the Mets are truly ready to take down the Dodgers. He'd be a substantial upgrade even over newcomer ace Freddy Peralta, with Nolan McLean becoming the best No. 3 starter in the NL East.
Following his successful conversion from relief to the rotation in 2025, Holmes would be a solid immediate plug-in for the Tigers. Yet the real prizes here would be Benge and Tong, both of whom are MLB-ready prospects.
Tong is a Tim Lincecum lookalike who has already debuted in the majors. Benge posted a .857 OPS across three levels of the minors last year, and is seen as having plus tools across the board.
Who Says No?
Probably the Mets.
They have taken some big swings this winter, yes, but swapping both Benge and Tong for Skubal would veer too far toward mortgaging the future for the sake of the present. And besides, only a year stands between them and simply signing Skubal for hundreds of millions of dollars as a free agent.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
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Trade Proposal: Los Angeles Dodgers get LHP Tarik Skubal; Detroit Tigers get RHP Roki Sasaki, OF Zyhir Hope (MLB No. 27), LHP Jackson Ferris
Why It Works
Between their back-to-back World Series titles and their three straight buzz-worthy offseasons, the Dodgers have as much "What are you going to do about it?" energy as any team in baseball history.
They don't need a trade for Skubal… but at this point, they seem to be doing things just because they can. And given that they have more resources than just money, such a trade is something they indeed can do.
The Dodgers are so good that Sasaki, who was the No. 1 prospect in MLB last year, projects as their No. 6 starter. Using him as a trade chip is arguably their best play just in the abstract.
Hope is still raw, but he profiles as a corner outfielder with power and speed on offense. Ferris is likewise raw in the control department, but he showed how good his stuff is by fanning 135 batters in 126.0 innings at Double-A in 2025.
Who Says No?
Frankly, one doubts that the Dodgers would part ways with Sasaki just one year after scoring him as a major offseason prize.
Conceptually, though, it's his inclusion that makes this proposal work. He'd bring both short- and long-term upside to Detroit's rotation, which is the only way that trading Skubal is going to make any sense.
As Hope is a top-100 prospect and Ferris just missed that distinction in his own right, what we have here is a trade proposal that both sides would really have to chew on.
Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.
