Tarik Skubal Sweepstakes Has Early Favorite That Would Shake Up MLB

All eyes across Major League Baseball should be on Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal right now.

There are 32 days to go until the 2026 Major League Baseball trade deadline on Aug. 3 and if Skubal is moved, it's going to be the biggest story of the summer across baseball — and potentially the biggest story of the 2026 MLB season overall.

Skubal has been talked about as a potential trade chip for a while now. While this is the case, it arguably has become understated how wild it would be if the two-time reigning American League Cy Young Award winner was actually moved. You don't see a hurler of his caliber moved often in the middle of a season. The last time a reigning Cy Young Award winner was traded was in 2023. Justin Verlander won the 2022 American League Cy Young Award as a member of the Houston Astros and signed with the New York Mets before the 2023 campaign. That was short-lived, though. New York traded Verlander back to the Astros ahead of the 2023 trade deadline.

Skubal has won two straight Cy Young Awards and could completely shift the playoff race, dependingon where he lands if Detroit moves him.

The Tarik Skubal Sweepstakes Is Already Getting Interesting

Jun 30, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) follows through on a pitch against the New York Yankees during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As we inch closer and closer to the deadline, naturally the buzz around him has picked up. So much so to the point that USA Today's Bob Nightengale wrote that the Atlanta Braves are viewed as the favorite for the lefty right now, according to rival executives.

"Prediction: Skubal will go, with Atlanta being the favorite according to rival executives, but this decision likely will go down to the final days, if not hours, before the deadline," Nightengale.

The Tigers are 38-49 on the season so far and in fourth place in the American League Central. It just doesn't seem like it's going to happen with Detroit this season. The Braves are 50-34 and in first place in the National League East, but they are missing Spencer Strider, Joey Wentz, and Spencer Schwellenbach. Right now, the Braves already are contenders in the National League, but the Philadelphia Phillies are closing in. The Phillies are just 2 1/2 games out of first place and are catching up. Philadelphia is 7-3 over its last 10 and the Braves are 3-7 over their last 10, in large part because Ronald Acuña Jr. is also out.

If the Braves could actually land Skubal, all of a sudden the National League playoff race would completely shift. The Braves have 50 wins, despite the injuries. If they landed Skubal and eventually got Acuña and Strider back, all of a sudden we'd be talking about the Los Angeles Dodgers' biggest threat in the National League.

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