Tarik Skubal Needs Change of Scenery, and One Team Makes Most Sense

The Tarik Skubal sweepstakes has already been interesting to follow across Major League Baseball over the last few weeks, and the Detroit Tigers haven't even made him available yet for a deal.

The Tigers are 5-5 over their last 10 games, but still are 27-39 on the season. Unless they go on a long run, a few wins here and there aren't going to transform their doomed season. The Tigers have simply not been as good as expected, in large part because Skubal hasn't taken the mound for a big league game since April 29. But he is making progress.

Despite the fact that he had elbow surgery, Skubal kicked off a minor league rehab assignment on Sunday with the High-A West Michigan Whitecaps and was electric. Skubal pitched five shutout innings and allowed just two base hits while striking out six batters. That's not all, though. Skubal threw 55 pitches, and 54 of them were for strikes. That's absurd.

Skubal is so back.

5 IP | 2 H | 0 R | 0 BB | 6 K

The @tigers ace racked up 16 swings-and-misses while throwing 54 of 55 pitches for strikes in a rehab start with the @wmwhitecaps. pic.twitter.com/V54dG5e4J1
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) June 7, 2026

Throwing 55 pitches with 54 of them being for strikes is unheard of. It certainly looks like Skubal is trending in the right direction and one team above all else should be paying attention right now: the Toronto Blue Jays.

If there is a team out there that should go out and acquire Skubal — if the Tigers make him available — arguably it would be the Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays Should Target Tarik Skubal

Scenes from Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal's rehab start with the West Michigan Whitecaps on Sunday, June 7, at LMCU Ballpark in Comstock Park. | Lenny Padilla / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

First and foremost, the Blue Jays aren't afraid to make a splash. Toronto has shown this over and over again. This past offseason, the Blue Jays signed Dylan Cease to a monster deal and tried to sign Kyle Tucker, but just missed out to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Right now, Cease, José Berríos, Max Scherzer, Shane Bieber, and Cody Ponce are all on the Injured List. Even if they're able to return at some point, Skubal is a guy who the Blue Jays should target simply because what it has seen on the injury front this season.

On top of this, the American League is very vulnerable. The Blue Jays are 32-34 and yet it is just a half-game out of a playoff spot. In the American League East, the Tampa Bay Rays have hit their first rough patch and are 3-7 over their last 10 games. The New York Yankees just lost Aaron Judge for a while as well. The American League is wide open and by adding someone like Skubal, the Blue Jays could put themselves in a position to make a deep run, just like last year.

If you're a Blue Jays fan, idea of adding Skubal should be the top choice.

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