It seems impossible that the Detroit Tigers would actually do it. A team that is a true World Series contender should never consider such a thing. Despite it lacking all common sense and defies instincts of self preservation, there apparently is a chance that the best pitcher in baseball, the soon-to-be 29-year-old left-handed flame-thrower Tarik Skubal, could be on the trade market this off-season.
With just one year left until he hits free agency and the two sides reportedly nowhere close to a new
contract, there appears to be a non-zero chance that Detroit could look to ship him to a contender for a boatload of prospects, rather than pay a generational pitcher a generational contract. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand wrote on Wednesday…
Tarik Skubal will be entering his final year prior to free agency, leaving the Tigers in a quandary. After advancing to the AL Division Series for a second consecutive season, Detroit is a team on the rise. Trading Skubal would certainly have a negative impact on the Tigers in 2026. But given the type of contract the ace is expected to seek next offseason, president of baseball operations Scott Harris must consider whether he believes he can meet that price to keep Skubal in Detroit, or whether trading the pitcher now for a haul of players/prospects is a better long-term play for the club.
“I imagine they’ll consider it, if the bidding gets high enough,” said one AL executive. “I’m not sure if they’ll have the guts to do it.”
Skubal is a left-handed Roy Halladay. He is the ace of aces. He went 13-5 with a 2.21 ERA in 2025 with 241 strikeouts in 195 1/3 innings and is a lock to win his second straight Cy Young Award. I could list a ton of other advanced statistics and sabermetrics numbers but they’d all tell you what you already know.
Tarik Skubal is a championship starting pitcher, one every team should consider unloading the farm to acquire.
Including the Phillies.
Of course, the desire to land a pitcher like Skubal and actually being able to pull it off are two separate things. In terms of prospects, there’s no question the Phillies would likely need to deal away at least two of their top-100 prospects, if not all three, in order to outbid other suitors, most specifically, the New York Mets.
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has long considered top prospect Andrew Painter – who some have compared to a young Justin Verlander – to be untouchable, but Philadelphia’s aging roster makes 2026 a crucial season before its current window of contention begins to close. Dombrowski has two other Top 100 prospects (shortstop Aidan Miller and outfielder Justin Crawford) who could interest Detroit.
There are two schools of thought on the aging roster portion of this argument. One is that the Phils should absolutely go all-in on 2026, even if that means dealing away your best, Major League-ready prospects, in order to bring on board arguably the best left-handed starter since Clayton Kershaw in his heyday. When considering the uncertainty surrounding Zack Wheeler’s return and Aaron Nola’s abilities after a rough 2025, Skubal’s addition would make even more sense.
But the other is, because the roster is aging, it’s vital the Phillies not only hold onto their talented young prospects but also start working them into the lineup and rotation now. Justin Crawford is all but guaranteed a starting outfield spot next year (even though the Phils won’t and can’t say that) and Andrew Painter will almost certainly start the season in the big league rotation. Aidan Miller’s arrival will almost certainly come sometime next year, perhaps earlier than anyone expects.
Last week, I wrote that it was once again time to #TrustTheProspects once again. But in the case of Skubal, an exception should be made, as noted on the most recent Hittin’ Season podcast, powered by WHYY.
Another aspect of a Skubal trade would be his contract. Entering the final year of arbitration, Skubal is due for a massive payday as a free agent after the 2026 season (and likely owners’ lockout). Would the Phils deal those prospects without a long-term contract in place? Would they do it for just one season of Skubal? Or might they just wait for him to hit free agency or for whenever Pittsburgh decides to make Paul Skenes available?
Feinsand’s report indicates the Mets would be the top suitor in a Skubal trade. New York has plenty of pitching prospects they could send to Detroit, but need a true staff ace as much, if not more, than any contender in baseball. Should the Phillies make a move, not only to bolster their own staff, but to prevent the Mets from doing the same to theirs?
While it would make everyone uncomfortable to deal away all the Phillies’ best young prospects for a player close to his 30s, there are some players who are worth the price.
Tarik Skubal is one of them.
