Tarik Skubal Sweepstakes Expected to Include NL Powerhouse

The Tarik Skubal sweepstakes has been loud and a major talking point around Major League Baseball for weeks at this point, although the Detroit Tigers haven't even confirmed if he will be available.

He should be. The Tigers are 25-38 and have a massive hole to pull themselves out of and it just doesn't seem likely at this point. Also, Skubal is going to be a free agent after the season. Are the Tigers really going to pony up a historic deal that could be coming his way? Unlikely. If the Tigers aren't going to pay him, the Tigers need to trade him to avoid losing him for nothing. Plus, with CBA uncertainty around the league, it wouldn't hurt to add prospects anyway with 2027 up in the air.

So, if Skubal does get moved, who could be an option? The Los Angeles Dodgers have been floated as a fit on numerous occasions. So much so that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts even was asked about the possibility. But insiders around the league have been throwing out another option: the San Diego Padres.

MLB's Biggest Deadline Prize Is Linked To San Diego

Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) throws against Milwaukee Brewers during the fifth inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Thursday, April 23, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal joined "Foul Territory" on Thursday and shared that he does "fully expect" San Diego to be one of the clubs in on Skubal if he's available.

"From what I'm hearing, teams believe that that new ownership is going to authorize [AJ Preller] to take on money," Rosenthal said. "Which he hasn't been able to do really for the last three years. That's why in each deal that he's made, for the most part, he's traded prospects and traded big prospects at times. If he can take on money, he won't need to do that, or to that extent. He can make deals in other ways instead of giving up prospects, he could take on a contract here or there. Most likely they will need in their rotation and I fully expect the Padres to be one of the many teams in on Tarik Skubal if he becomes available."

"I fully expect the Padres to be one of the many teams in on Tarik Skubal if he becomes available."@Ken_Rosenthal says he's heard that teams believe Padres' new ownership will authorize AJ Preller to take on more money. 👀 pic.twitter.com/c7sugzQaBp
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) June 4, 2026

That's not all, though. ESPN's Buster Olney joined the "Just Baseball Show" on Wednesday and was asked where he though Skubal would land. He said the Padres.

Right now, the Padres are 32-29 and are hemorrhaging in the starting rotation due to injuries. On offense, the Padres have plenty of pieces. If the Padres could land a player like Skubal, then all of a sudden things would get very interesting in the National League playoff race.

The 2026 MLB trade deadline won't be here until Aug. 3. But it's clear that the league's biggest prize will be Skubal if he's made available. Right now, the buzz is loud around San Diego.

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