Rival Execs Believe Padres' AJ Preller Wants Tarik Skubal at Trade Deadline

The San Diego Padres are one of the more fascinating teams around the league as the Aug. 3 trade deadline approaches.

San Diego has multiple needs to address, with the biggest one being in the starting rotation.

The Padres have been dealt a tough hand with injuries in the rotation this year, and this could see the front office target multiple starters at the deadline (if they choose to buy).

One name that has been linked to the Padres this year is left-hander Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers. Skubal is easily the biggest fish on the trade market this summer, but there is no guarantee that he will be made available.

With Detroit playing better of late, Skubal has made it clear that he wants to remain with the Tigers to go after a playoff push. However, given that Skubal is a free agent after the season, the Tigers may elect to move him to avoid losing the ace for nothing this winter.

Recent rumors have pushed the Padres to potentially being sellers at the upcoming trade deadline, but that isn't how president of baseball operations A.J. Preller tends to operate. If Skubal is available, Preller will surely call the Tigers to see what it may cost to land the ace.

And according to MLB insiders Will Sammon, Patrick Mooney and Katie Woo of The Athletic, rivals believe that Preller is dreaming of going after Skubal. Even with the odds going against the Padres' chance to land the ace, Preller can never be counted out.

"As long as Preller is in, don’t count him out. The Padres are a long shot for Skubal, but scouts and executives believe Preller would love to somehow snatch him," Sammon, Mooney and Woo wrote.

If the Padres could add Skubal, it would help solve the biggest problem on this roster. Skubal would become the ace of the staff, giving San Diego a true No. 1 option for the remainder of the season.

Of course, trading for Skubal would be a risk since he could leave in free agency after the season ends. But one would think that Preller would be planning to retain the left-hander this winter if premium assets are being given up.

Even as a potential rental, the price to land Skubal would be very high. The one knock against the Padres' chance is that the farm system isn't the greatest, and Preller would need to get creative to get a deal done.

But if Preller were to offer top prospect Ethan Salas, the Tigers could potentially be interested. However, Salas is a very valuable piece to the future of the Padres, and he's been having a breakout season.

Losing any assets for Skubal could be tough, but given how dominant a pitcher the left-hander is, Preller may be willing to take the gamble. If the Padres decide to go for a postseason spot, there aren't many better options to add to this roster than the Tigers ace, even at a high cost.

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