The Orioles Could Have Had Skubal In 2024, MLB Insider Explains, For Prospects They Should Trade Now

Let’s go back to mid-July 2024.

The Baltimore Orioles held a 57-35 record, exactly two games ahead of the Yankees in the AL East. Things were looking up, with a pitching staff led by Corbin Burnes and a lineup with peak Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman. The trade deadline was quickly approaching, and the O’s fanbase yearned for a big move from general manager Mike Elias.

Detroit Tigers superstar ace Tarik Skubal was the potential prize of that deadline. And, as MLB Network Insider Jon Morosi saw it at the time, and explained on "The Daily Flock Show" on Friday, no team was better positioned than the Orioles to land him.

By that same point in 2024, he recorded a 2.37 ERA, a 0.90 WHIP, and an opponent batting average of .195. However, the Tigers were only 44-49, so naturally trade talks began to spur, and the O’s seemed like the natural choice. After all, Corbin Burnes’ contract was quickly expiring, plus a plethora of high-end prospects like Coby Mayo, Samuel Basallo, and Jackson Holliday made it seem like a match made in heaven.

The Orioles needed longevity and stability out of their pitchers, two of the many traits that Skubal offered. Since then, Skubal is a two-time Cy Young award winner, a two-time ERA champion, and a Triple Crown holder. Looking at the aforementioned prospects today, only Basallo has proven successful at the Major League level. Mayo currently sits at a .263 OBP and OPS+ of 80, while Holliday struggles with a 0.2 WAR and an OPS just over 700.

Seems like a steal, right? Unfortunately for O’s fans, this trade never made it past second base.

The Orioles Missed Their Window

Weighing in on the could-have-been trade, Morosi said: “The right players were in form at the right time. They were missing the guy, and they didn’t ever pull the trigger to make the deal to make it a special run to the playoffs.”

Morosi added: “They seemed to miss their window, and it’s almost seemed like they’ve been chasing that mistake ever since then. I don’t know when they will ever get back to having that type of opportunity again.”

Morosi believed in the Mayo/Basallo/Holliday package, as did many hopeful O’s fans. There was an outlier though, that being Basallo, still a teenager (19). The 2021 international free agent signee was still in AA Bowie at the time, hitting .289 but would see a AAA call-up in just over a month. Morosi explained, “I do think that that Basallo would have been a really important piece of that conversation, and one that I think they (the Tigers) would have wanted to get as part of that deal.”

Would that definitely have been enough?

“It’s hard to know," Morosi said, "but I do think if you would have put in Basallo, Mayo, Holiday, that was the package we were talking about a lot at that time.”

At the end of the day, Elias never budged, and his prospect hugging has been called into question for years now. The Orioles’ rapid decline started that year with a sweep in the 2024 American League Wild Card by the Royals and currently sit in dead last in the AL East with a 43-51 record. On the other hand, The Tigers held a strong 2025 campaign, seeing an ALDS appearance with a record of 87-75.

Skubal’s name has yet again appeared in trade rumors as the deadline nears on Aug. 3. But, as Morosi sees it, the Orioles days of buying are long gone and they must seriously consider trading players like Holliday and Mayo as soon as possible.

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