Analyzing the Six Best Trade Destinations for Tarik Skubal

The Tigers choosing to trade their ace rather than lose him in free agency seems increasingly likely.

Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal could be on the move as the trade deadline approaches. | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

The trade buzz surrounding Tarik Skubal has started to pick up.

A few months ago it looked like the Tigers would hold on to their ace to make one last run at a championship with him before he hit free agency next offseason. Skubal is currently working his way back from surgery to remove loose bodies in his pitching elbow, and could have a rehab start soon.

Detroit currently sits at 25–38, 11 games out of first in the AL Central and trailing the final wild card spot by six games. While the season isn’t over, things are not trending in the right direction. The Tigers have crumbled without their ace, going 7–21 since the day they announced he'd undergo surgery. If Detroit can't recover, the team's front office may have to hold its nose and get what they can for the two-time reigning AL Cy Young Award winner before the August 3 trade deadline. The alternative would be to wait it out and risk losing him in free agency for a compensatory draft pick.

Skubal has been baseball’s best pitcher since the start of the 2024 season. In seven starts this year, he's 3–2 with a 2.70 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 45 strikeouts against six walks in 43 1/3 innings. Since the 2023 campaign, Skubal leads all qualified pitchers in fWAR (17.5), WHIP (0.91), strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.00) and FIP (2.37), and is second in ERA (2.41), third in walk rate (4.5) and sixth in strikeout rate (31.2). He's an elite lefty power pitcher, and given how quickly he's progressed since his surgery—Skubal threw a simulated game earlier this week, and a minor-league rehab start could be next—there's little reason to think he can't immediately return to ace status.

Skubal would be a rental, so the cost to acquire him will be lower than it would have been this past offseason. A deal may not require the kind of top-level prospect capital we’d normally see exchanged for a player of his caliber, though some quality players will need to head to Detroit in any deal since he'll represent an immediate upgrade for any rotation.

Here’s a look at six teams that make sense as landing spots for the ace lefty.

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers are always all-in, so they’ll certainly be in the mix for Skubal as trade talk heats up. Does L.A. need another starter? Not really. Would president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman acquire him anyway? Absolutely.

Skubal is a risk coming off of injury, but the Dodgers have enough depth to allow him to manage his workload during the regular season. Roki Sasaki has shown signs of improvement, but it's hard to trust him long-term right now. Adding another ace would allow the 24-year-old to return to the bullpen, where he pitched well during the 2025 postseason.

Skubal is one of the two best pitchers on the planet, and L.A. has plenty of prospect depth to trade from. Six of the team's top 10 prospects are outfielders whose path to the big leagues is blocked. The Tigers could wind up with a haul of players the Dodgers won't ever need.

New York Yankees

Gerrit Cole is back from elbow surgery and looks like he never left, while Cam Schlittler is a legit Cy Young contender as we head into June. Max Fried is currently sidelined with an elbow injury but has begun throwing in hopes of a swift return. The rest of the rotation is holding its own, though the oft-injured Carlos Rodon just returned from an elbow injury, while Ryan Weathers has been solid but not spectacular.

It goes without saying, Skubal would be a huge improvement on Weathers. Could you imagine New York waltzing into a playoff series with Skubal, Cole, Fried and Schlittler fronting their rotation? How would anyone expect to beat that group? If the Yankees want to win a World Series this year, adding Skubal would be a massive step in the right direction.

New York has a solid crop of prospects right now and could probably make a deal without having to give up top pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez or the team's No. 1 prospect, shortstop George Lombard Jr. Still, there’s talent in the system so the Tigers wouldn’t come away empty handed.

Adding Skubal would give the Yankees a star-studded rotation to match the Dodgers'. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

San Diego Padres

No one would put it past A.J. Preller to trade for Skubal despite the Padres badly needing bats. Last year, he surrendered a massive haul to land Mason Miller when his squad already had the best bullpen in baseball. Conventional logic doesn’t really apply when we’re talking about Preller and making a big splash at the deadline.

Michael King and Randy Vásquez have been really good this season for San Diego, but the rest of the rotation is kind of duct taped together. Lucas Giolito, Walker Buehler and Griffin Canning currently man the other spots with Nick Pivetta and Joe Musgrove out. Skubal would certainly represent a huge boost for the Padres, landing them a legit ace as they try to reach the postseason for the fifth time in seven seasons.

Top catching prospect Ethan Salas should be untouchable—though you never know what lengths Preller will go to in a trade—but Detroit might be able to pry away a top pitching prospect like former first-rounders Kruz Schoolcraft and Kash Mayfield among other sweeteners.

Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays are another team that's hungry to win this year, but their pitching staff has been devastated by injuries. Dylan Cease, Shane Bieber and Max Scherzer are currently on the IL, while José Berríos and Cody Ponce are out for the year. The rotation needs help if Toronto is going to get back to the World Series.

Enter Skubal, who would be a huge boost to a starting pitching corps that ranks 11th in MLB with a 3.93 ERA. That’s good, but could be much better. If Cease can remain healthy, a top three of Skubal, Cease and Kevin Gausman would be among the best in the majors.

Toronto won’t surrender top prospect JoJo Parker for a rental, but there is some depth in the organization. Lefties Johnny King and Ricky Tiedemann and infielder Juan Sanchez could all entice the Tigers.

Chicago Cubs

This is a fit for obvious reasons. The Cubs have enough talent to contend in the National League, but they’ve been up and down all year. A slew of injuries have decimated their pitching staff, making it difficult to find stability. Cade Horton is out for the year after Tommy John surgery and Justin Steele has no timetable for a return after undergoing the same procedure last year. Meanwhile, Edward Cabrera is currently on the shelf thanks to a blister issue, and Matthew Boyd is working his way back from a knee injury.

All of those issues have led to Chicago’s starters ranking 25th in ERA at 4.65. Skubal would instantly change that. The big lefty would give the Cubs the kind of frontline ace they've needed for several years. Cabrera was supposed to combine with Horton to form a legit one-two punch, but with Horton out for the year, someone else needs to step in, and a two-time Cy Young winner would fit the bill.

It’s possible the Tigers could pry righty Jaxon Wiggins from the Cubs, but at a minimum 2025 first-rounder Ethan Conrad and fellow outfielder Kevin Alcántara would likely be on the table, plus a few lower-level guys.

Tampa Bay Rays

This is the kind of move that could make the Rays MLB's best team. They currently sit atop the AL East, tied with the Yankees at 36–23. Their starting staff has been outstanding this season, ranking fifth in MLB with a 3.51 ERA. Despite that, there are weak spots and, frankly, Skubal would be the kind of frontline ace they don’t currently have.

Shane McClanahan and Drew Rasmussen are great atop the rotation, while Nick Martinez has pitched far above his level. The latter’s 2.29 ERA ranks among the best in the AL, but his paltry strikeout rate indicates regression is coming. Putting Skubal atop the rotation with those three backing him up would create an elite rotation that would stack up against any in baseball. If Tampa Bay wants to put its stamp on this season and really make a run at its first title, this is a move worth pursuing.

The Rays prize their prospects and development as much as any team in baseball, so working a deal may be more about quantity for the Tigers. Shortstop Daniel Pierce and righty Anderson Brito would likely be available. One of those three plus outfielder Slater de Brun and a few lower-level guys could get it done.

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