Red Sox Must Ignore 3-for-1 Tarik Skubal Mock Trade

The Boston Red Sox very well could have the top starting rotation in all of baseball in 2026 if everyone is able to stay healthy.

Even if injuries pop up, the Red Sox's depth is intense right now with guys like Patrick Sandoval, Kutter Crawford, Kyle Harrison, Payton Tolle and Connelly Early, among others. Boston has stockpiled pitching, even when it has seemed like the club has had enough. But the club really should be putting its focus elsewhere right now. The Red Sox need one more infielder, not another starting pitcher right now.

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With the offseason winding down, there's plenty of speculation and chatter out there. One guy who has felt the noise this offseason is two-time reigning Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers. He's arguably the top pitcher in baseball and would make every rotation better. But he's going to be a free agent after the 2026 season, which is why there has been endless trade rumors this offseason.

The isn't it for Boston

Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal high-fives teammates in the dugout after a pitching change during the seventh inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Wednesday, May 14, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On Wednesday, Bleacher Report's Zachary Rymer shared a story highlighting eight "last-ditch" mock trades for Skubal and the Red Sox should steer clear.

"The Red Sox have spent the winter doubling…heck, tripling down on starting pitching," Rymer wrote. "Yet even though Garrett Crochet and Ranger Suárez are a formidable duo, the strength of Boston's rotation is more about depth than overwhelming quality. A trade for Skubal would be meant to give them the best of both worlds, with the ultimate hope being that he and Crochet could do a Randy Johnson-Curt Schilling thing in October.

"Duran and Bello have both appeared in trade rumors throughout the winter, and each would find more certain roles awaiting them in Detroit. Both would also stick around for a while, as each is controlled through at least 2028. As deal-sweeteners go, Phillips would be sweet indeed. He was Boston's No. 33 pick in the 2025 draft, and he has both the frame (6'4", 250) and upper 90s fastball to project as at least an impact reliever in the long run."

This isn't to say Skubal isn't great. Of course he is. But one year of Skubal before a potentially historic contract shouldn't be worth an All-Star outfielder, a young starter with massive upside and on a long-term deal, and a high-end pitching prospect when the Red Sox already boast potentially the best rotation in baseball.

Skubal is great, but there is a level of volatility with pitchers — especially injury-wise. Imagine if the Red Sox were to give up this type of package and Skubal got hurt in 2026? There's no guarantee. At this point, this is the type of mock trade Boston must ignore.

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