Is This Proposed Tarik Skubal Trade Realistic for the Detroit Tigers?
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The Detroit Tigers have made it clear to interested teams in back-to-back AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal that he is currently off limits at the moment, to be traded at this year's deadline. However, that doesn't mean speculation and trade package proposals can't be discussed should things change.
The Tigers are playing some pretty good baseball at the moment, winning five of their last six games. If this run turns into something that gets Detroit back into the AL Central race, it's a possibility Skubal will remain a Tiger until the season concludes. But there's still a lot of catching up to do for the Tigers.
Player Development Analyst for Marquee Sports Network, Lance Brozdowski, joined MLB Network to review three trade packages the Tigers could get in return for Skubal. The first two include the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees, but the underdog with semi-intriguing potential to land Detroit's ace was the Milwaukee Brewers.
Here's the proposed trade package the Tigers would recieve from Milwaukee via Brozdowski:
Brewers Acquire - LHP Tarik Skubal
Tigers Acquire - INF/OF Jett Williams, OF Luis Lara, RHP Bishop Letson
Brozdowski's Analysis
"First off, it would be very funny if they trade Mets for Jett Williams and then trade Jett Williams for Tarik Skubal. That would be pretty hilarious of Matt Arnold and staff there," Brozdowski said of Williams on MLB Network's Instagram (fourth slide).
"Luis Lara's an interesting name; kind of like a glove-first speedy contact-type guy in Triple-A that's hitting a bit more for power, so again comboing two guys who are very close to the Major Leagues which allows you to run into less variants."
"Bishop is kind of like Jacob Misiorowski; really big extension on the mound that they drafted post-round five a couple years ago."
Would the Tigers Do It?
The Tigers have a ton of infield prospects in the minor leagues who could easily be added to the Major League roster right now, specifically Max Anderson. While landing a player like Jett Williams would be beneficial for Detroit, it almost gets in the way of players they already have coming through the system.
Additionally, as Brozdowski said, the Brewers just acquired Williams from the New York Mets in a trade for Freddy Peralta, so the likelihood of that trade piece doesn't feel all too realistic. But crazier things have happened.
Lara might be a player that the Tigers would really enjoy in their system. He's hit seven home runs with a .338 AVG in Triple-A this season and has stolen 18 bases. For a Detroit team that's not so aggressive in stealing bases, adding Lara to a package deal should immediately increase the Tigers' interest.
As for Bishop Letson, he's still a few years out, but his presence and size on the mound would be very intimidating to batters in the box. He's a work-in-progress type of player at the moment, but his potential could catch Harris' eye, who would love to have a big right-hander in the system.
Is this trade proposal crazy? Not at all. Would it realistically happen? Well, if it comes down to those three teams Brozdowski listed, it would definitely shake up the state of Major League Baseball into the latter half of 2026.
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Dominic Minchella is a 2024 Eastern Michigan University graduate with a BA in Communications, Media, and Theatre Arts and a Journalism minor. He covers Major League Baseball for On SI and spends his free time watching games and sharing his insights.