Padres' Potential Trade Package in Blockbuster Tarik Skubal Trade Revealed

The San Diego Padres are being viewed as major players in the potential trade sweepstakes to land ace Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers this year.

With how poorly the Tigers have played since Skubal's injury, the idea of them trading him before he hits free agency in the offseason has grown louder.

Detroit has tried to hold off moving Skubal in the hopes of competing, but that has now started to fall by the wayside.

The Padres have been heavily linked to Skubal this year, and with how they've operated in the past, a deal could shouldn't be out of the question. But the big question for the Padres is what they would offer for the ace, given that the farm system isn't as strong as it once was.

Former MLB general manager Jim Bowden revealed what the Padres' possible trade package could be for the left-hander.

"He’ll probably be willing to dangle at least one of his top pitching prospects, and maybe even two, among left-handers Kruz Schoolcraft and Kash Mayfield and right-hander Miguel Mendez. He could perhaps combine one of those pitchers with shortstop Jorge Quintana, catcher Ty Harvey or outfielders Braedon Karpathios or Ryan Wideman to make a deal work," Bowden wrote.

Schoolcraft is the Padres' top pitching prospect, but Skubal is a proven commodity in the big leagues. San Diego will likely try to hold onto him, but the Tigers may insist that he's included in the trade between the teams.

Losing multiple key prospects for Skubal would be tough to swallow, but the left-hander is seen as the best pitcher in baseball today.

In seven starts before his injury, Skubal posted an ERA of 2.70 while striking out 45 batters over 43.1 innings. Skubal could transform this starting rotation, giving the Padres a much better shot to win the World Series this year.

The Tigers may ask for catcher Ethan Salas, who has been rising up prospect boards for the Padres this year. And Bowden wonders if Preller would be willing to move the young catcher in order to land the ace.

"Preller might even consider offering his top prospect, catcher Ethan Salas, if he can get a deal done straight-up and he feels like he could win a title this season," Bowden wrote.

Landing Skubal now could give the Padres a chance to let him see how life would be if he were to sign with San Diego in the offseason. Skubal wants to win at the highest level, and the Padres have been consistent contenders since the turn of the decade.

The Padres are also one of the few teams that would likely be willing to pay him the type of money (potentially $300 million or more) needed to land him long-term. Overall, if the Padres get the opportunity to bring Skubal into the mix, Preller should pull out all the stops, giving the team a chance to compete this season.

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