Ranking Tarik Skubal and Top Rental Targets at 2026 MLB Trade Deadline

The biggest story of the 2026 MLB trade deadline is almost certainly going to be what the Detroit Tigers decide to do with Tarik Skubal.

The two-time Cy Young winner is set to reach free agency at season's end and could be headed elsewhere for a historic payday. Do the Tigers go all-in on one final playoff push with their ace, or cash in their biggest trade chip before losing him?

While Skubal is the marquee name, he is by no means the only notable rental trade candidate on the market, and ahead we've counted down the top 20 rental targets who could give contenders a boost before the Aug. 3 deadline.

In case you missed it: Ranking Mason Miller and Top Non-Rental Targets at 2026 MLB Trade Deadline

Honorable Mentions

Ed Zurga/Getty Images

Kris Bubic

Pitchers

RP Jason Adam, SD
SP Shane Bieber, TOR
SP Kris Bubic, KC
RP Brock Burke, CIN
SP Tyler Mahle, SF
RP John Schreiber, KC
RP Antonio Senzatela, COL
SP Brady Singer, CIN
RP Matt Strahm, KC
SP Tomoyuki Sugano, COL

Hitters

C Jonah Heim, ATH
1B Nathaniel Lowe, CIN
2B Jeff McNeil, ATH
OF Luis Robert Jr., NYM
DH Jorge Soler, LAA
C Tyler Stephenson, CIN
3B Eugenio Suárez, CIN

Nos. 20-18

Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

A.J. Minter

20. OF Lane Thomas, Kansas City Royals

Stats: 87 G, 113 OPS+, .240/.338/.412, 25 XBH (9 HR), 0.7 WAR

After posting an ugly 45 OPS+ over 142 plate appearances during an injury-plagued season in Cleveland last year, Thomas settled for a one-year, $5.25 million deal with the Royals in free agency. A 20/20 player at his peak with the Nationals, he provides some power, speed and the ability to play all three outfield spots.

19. RP Brooks Raley, New York Mets

Stats: 41 G, 13 HLD, 1.96 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 9.3 K/9, 1.3 WAR

Raley has a 2.43 ERA and 9.8 K/9 in 205 appearances since the start of his breakout 2022 season in Tampa Bay, and quality left-handed bullpen help is always in demand at the trade deadline. His 3.13 FIP is a better indication of what to expect going forward, but he would still bolster almost any contender's relief corps.

18. RP A.J. Minter, New York Mets

Stats: 20 G, 1 HLD, 1.80 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 7.7 K/9, 0.5 WAR

While he doesn't have the same high-octane stuff he did at his peak with the Braves, Minter is still a highly effective lefty reliever with a wealth of late-inning experience. Over 20 career appearances in the postseason, he has a 2.88 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 36 strikeouts in 25 innings.

Nos. 17-15

Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Ty France

17. 1B Ty France, San Diego Padres

Stats: 75 G, 143 OPS+, .282/.339/.551, 29 XBH (15 HR), 2.6 WAR

Signed to a minor league deal during the offseason and earning a $1.35 million salary in the majors, France has been one of the best bargain signings of the winter. Aside from his strong offensive numbers, he was also the 2025 AL Gold Glove winner at first base, so his value stretches beyond the batter's box.

16. RP Kirby Yates, Los Angeles Angels

Stats: 25 G, 3 SV, 3.74 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 11.6 K/9, 0.2 WAR

Yates is a two-time All-Star with a 41-save season in 2019 and a 33-save season in 2024 on his resume, so he has no shortage of high-leverage, late-game experience. A 30.8 percent strikeout rate speaks to the quality of his stuff even in his age-39 season, and both his fastball and slider are generating a whiff rate above 30 percent.

15. RP Kenley Jansen, Detroit Tigers

Stats: 29 G, 11 SV, 4.21 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 10.2 K/9, 0.2 WAR

With 59 appearances and 20 saves in his postseason career, Jansen is as battle-tested as they come. His signature cutter is still getting hitters out, despite the fact that he throws it 83.8 percent of the time, and he has converted 11 of 15 save chances as he inches closer to 500 for his career.

Nos. 14-12

Alex Slitz/Getty Images

Taylor Ward

14. OF Daulton Varsho, Toronto Blue Jays

Stats: 88 G, 86 OPS+, .239/.304/.380, 26 XBH (7 HR), 1.0 WAR

After slugging 20 home runs in 271 plate appearances during an injury-shortened 2025 season, the offensive side of Varsho's game has been largely absent this season. That said, he still offers offensive upside and is not far removed from winning 2024 AL Gold Glove honors in center field, giving him multiple potential ways to provide value to a contender.

13. OF Taylor Ward, Baltimore Orioles

Stats: 100 G, 112 OPS+, .251/.386/.361, 27 XBH (7 HR), 2.2 WAR

The 112 OPS+ that Ward has this year is not that far off the 120 mark he posted a year ago, but he's doing it in a completely different fashion. After slugging a career-high 36 home runs last year with a lackluster .317 on-base percentage, his walk rate has sky-rocketed from 11.3 to 17.2 percent and his .386 OBP is sixth in the AL.

12. SP Clay Holmes, New York Mets

Stats: 9 GS, 2.39 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 18 BB, 45 K, 52.2 IP, 1.9 WAR

Holmes was off to a fantastic start this season before he suffered a fractured right fibula on May 15 after being hit by a 111 mph comebacker. He will make his first rehab start at Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday and could rejoin the Mets rotation on July 28. That means a single outing to prove he's healthy, so expect more than a few scouts in the stands for that one.

Nos. 11-9

Olivia Vanni/Getty Images

Robbie Ray

11. SP Jack Flaherty, Detroit Tigers

Stats: 19 GS, 4.59 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 42 BB, 102 K, 86.1 IP, 0.2 WAR

Teams are often willing to roll the dice on stuff, even if the results have not consistently been there, and Flaherty fits the bill with his lackluster 4.59 ERA backed by an impressive 102 strikeouts in 86.1 innings. The 30-year-old has a 2.67 ERA in 33.2 innings over his last seven starts, so things are trending in the right direction.

10. RP Adrian Morejón, San Diego Padres

Stats: 46 G, 15 HLD, 3.40 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 10.0 K/9, 0.6 WAR

With a blistering sinker that averages 99.5 mph and a changeup that is generating a 51.4 percent whiff rate, Morejón has the electric stuff to be a true game-changing arm in October. The 2025 All-Star has closer caliber-stuff, but hasn't had much of a chance in the ninth inning while sharing a bullpen with Robert Suárez and Mason Miller.

9. SP Robbie Ray, San Francisco Giants

Stats: 19 GS, 3.33 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 54 BB, 96 K, 110.2 IP, 1.5 WAR

Ray does not have the same strikeout stuff he did when he won 2021 AL Cy Young as a member of the Blue Jays, but he has proven durable since returning from Tommy John surgery. His 293 innings pitched since the start of the 2025 season rank 12th in the majors, and he has a 3.53 ERA and 113 ERA+ during that stretch. A contender should see him as a viable No. 3/4 starter in a playoff series.

Nos. 8-6

George Gaza/MLB Photos via Getty Images

Ryan Jeffers

8. C Ryan Jeffers, Minnesota Twins

Stats: 43 G, 163 OPS+, .287/.398/.552, 19 XBH (9 HR), 2.1 WAR

For teams that are unwilling or unable to offer up the farm for Shea Langeliers and Hunter Goodman, Jeffers represents a less expensive catcher upgrade still capable of making a major impact. He has a 119 OPS+ in 1,436 plate appearances over the last four seasons, and has also provided positive defensive value.

7. SP Freddy Peralta, New York Mets

Stats: 21 GS, 5.01 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 46 BB, 110 K, 109.2 IP, -0.2 WAR

Peralta has been a frontline starter for years, and turned in arguably the best season of his career in 2025 when he logged a 2.70 ERA and 204 strikeouts in 176.2 innings to finish fifth in NL Cy Young voting. His track record is enough for contenders to dream on a return to form, and the remainder of an $8 million salary won't deter clubs financially.

6. SP Foster Griffin, Washington Nationals

Stats: 20 GS, 2.68 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 27 BB, 111 K, 117.1 IP, 3.7 WAR

After a successful three-year stint in Japan, Griffin has returned stateside and immediately broken through as an All-Star. His 91.5 mph fastball velocity doesn't turn heads, but he limits hard contact, carries a solid 23.5 percent strikeout rate and remains more of an unknown to the opposition than the other pitchers on this list.

5. SP Trevor Rogers, Baltimore Orioles

G Fiume/Getty Images

Stats: 18 GS, 4.28 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 32 BB, 77 K, 96.2 IP, 1.2 WAR

An All-Star as a rookie in 2021, left-hander Trevor Rogers dealt with injuries and general ineffectiveness in the three seasons that followed before resurfacing as an ace-caliber option a year ago.

In 18 starts last season, he posted a 1.81 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 103 strikeouts in 109.2 innings, finishing ninth in AL Cy Young voting, despite his limited workload.

The 28-year-old stumbled out of the gates this season, but with a 1.69 ERA in 48 innings over his last eight starts he is once again performing like a frontline starter. There is some uncertainty, but no one outside of Skubal offers more upside on the mound.

4. SP Casey Mize, Detroit Tigers

Duane Burleson/Getty Images

Stats: 15 GS, 2.79 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 19 BB, 82 K, 80.2 IP, 2.7 WAR

With a 4.19 ERA in 440 career innings entering the 2026 season, Casey Mize had not quite lived up to the expectations that came with being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft, despite an All-Star selection last year.

A more effective splitter has helped him unlock another level this season, and along with strong surface-level numbers, he has an elite 2.62 FIP and a career-high 25.6 percent strikeout rate.

He made a pair of starts for the Tigers in the playoffs a year ago, and while he won't generate the same level of interest as his teammate Tarik Skubal, he is capable of making his mark in October.

3. SP Kevin Gausman, Toronto Blue Jays

Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images

Stats: 21 GS, 4.51 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 34 BB, 117 K, 115.2 IP, 1.1 WAR

Kevin Gausman is playing in the final season of a five-year, $110 million deal that will end up being one of the more successful nine-figure free agency contracts signed by a pitcher.

Over the life of that deal, he has a 3.62 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 910 strikeouts in 849.1 innings over 146 starts.

He twirled quality starts in Game 2 (6.2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER) and Game 6 (6.0 IP, 3 H, 3 ER) of the World Series a year ago, and that experience on the biggest stage gives him appeal beyond just what his numbers might suggest.

2. 2B Luis Arraez, San Francisco Giants

Jack Compton/Getty Images

Stats: 95 G, 130 OPS+, .323/.362/.450, 33 XBH (4 HR), 3.0 WAR

Luis Arraez continues to drive the bulk of his value with his elite bat-to-ball skills and a batting average that sits near the top of the MLB leaderboard, and it's not a stretch to think he could win a fourth career batting title in 2026.

Despite his track record, he found a limited market for his services in free agency this past winter, ultimately settling for a one-year, $12 million deal from the Giants.

The biggest difference this year has been his strong defensive metrics (-1 DRS, 10 OAA) at second base, giving him a less one-dimensional profile and potentially creating a broader market for his services.

1. SP Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers

Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images

Stats: 14 GS, 2.83 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 11 BB, 98 K, 82.2 IP, 2.6 WAR

Even in a season that has been abbreviated by a surgery to remove loose bodies from his throwing elbow, Tarik Skubal still looks like one of the best starters in baseball and the clear top name on the summer trade market.

He has made seven starts since returning from his stint on the injured list, including seven shutout innings of five-hit ball in his first start of the second half on July 18, so the injury question mark is in the rearview.

With a 2.04 ERA and a 56-to-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 39.2 playoff innings, he has looked the part on the big stage, and no player will swing the balance of power more at the deadline than Skubal if the Tigers pull the trigger on dealing him.