Blue Jays-Tarik Skubal Blockbuster Would Reshape American League Race

If the Detroit Tigers are going to trade Tarik Skubal, the Toronto Blue Jays would be a very intriguing landing spot.

Apr 1, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Toronto Blue Jays are a team that can make some noise this season, despite a slow start to the 2026 campaign.

There was a time in May in which the Blue Jays were six games under .500, but they have started to turn a corner. On May 12, the Blue Jays were 18-24. Now, the Blue Jays are 29-31, despite still missing a handful of starting pitchers. Dylan Cease, José Berríos, Max Scherzer, Shane Bieber, and Cody Ponce are all on the Injured List. Toronto needs to go out and make a move if it really wants to turn this thing around. It's still likely a bit early in the season to see anything game-changing, but the Blue Jays should still get aggressive.

On Monday, The Athletic's Jim Bowden wrote up a column with the seven best options for the Detroit Tigers to trade Tarik Skubal and the Blue Jays popped up on the list.

Blue Jays-Tarik Skubal Trade Would Shift AL Race

Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal talks to reporters before a game against the Boston Red Sox on May 4, 2026, at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan. | Evan Petzold / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"No. 7. Toronto Blue Jays," Bowden wrote. "I think the Blue Jays would have a difficult time winning the Skubal sweepstakes unless they included shortstop JoJo Parker, their top position player prospect, and either left-hander Johnny King or both right-handers Gage Stanifer and Nolan Perry. Shortstop Arjun Nimmala could also come up in conversations. However, the Blue Jays might just pay the price, knowing how close they came to winning the World Series last year and how Skubal would really improve their chances this year."

If Skubal is going to get moved this summer, the Blue Jays are the exact type of team Detroit should target. The Blue Jays are always trying to make a splash. They tried to get Shohei Ohtani a few years ago and went very hard at Kyle Tucker this past offseason. While the Blue Jays didn't get Tucker, they did sign Cease and Kazuma Okamoto.

Right now, the New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, and Cleveland Guardians are considered the top teams in the American League. The Blue Jays have the talent on the roster already to enter into that mix as well. If they could swing a deal like this for Skubal, that would completely shift the narrative. The Blue Jays would go from being on the outside looking in, to right there with the Yankees as the best teams in the American League.

Let's not forget that at some point, reinforcements will come back, like Cease. Imagine if the Blue Jays entered the playoffs with a rotation featuring Skuball, Cease, Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber and Max Scherzer? That would be a World Series-capable rotation.