Tarik Skubal landing spots: Dodgers, Cubs, Yankees among best fits for two-time Cy Young winner on Tigersoriginally appeared onThe Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as aPreferred
With the trade deadline a week away, the biggest question remains whether the Detroit Tigers will trade Tarik Skubal
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The Tigers remain in striking distance of a playoff spot in the weak American League, but they are still six games below .500 on the season. Therefore, it may be the prudent move to trade Skubal, who will hit free agency after the season and is highly unlikely to re-sign in Detroit
Skubal’s combination of a high price tag and rental status makes his trade status tricky, with teams hesitant to trade top prospects for a player who will be a free agent in the offseason. The teams that will be in on Skubal not only need to have prospects that the Tigers like, but also need to feel like they need a player of Skubal’s talent this year
With that in mind, here’s a look at five teams that make sense to be involved in the Skubal negotiations
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Tarik Skubal landing spots
Los Angeles Dodgers
As the Los Angeles Dodgers go for a three-peat, they have the ammo necessary to truly go all-in and add Skubal to an already dominant roster. Even with such a talented major-league roster, Los Angeles has one of the deepest farm systems in baseball and can produce a strong offer to the Tigers for Skubal
The Dodgers’ rotation features a slew of injuries, with Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow on the injured list and Shohei Ohtani shut down from pitching. If there is any area where Los Angeles could need to add at the deadline, it’s making sure the rotation is steady heading into the final few months of the year
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Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are right in the mix for a playoff spot but currently sit well behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the standings, and the team needs healthy starters. Of Chicago’s five starters to make at least 10 starts this year, only two have ERAs under 4.80, leaving Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga as their only reliable starters
Skubal would instantly be an ace in the Cubs’ rotation to go head-to-head against the strong Brewers rotation as they fight for the NL Central title. Arguably no team in baseball needs Skubal more than the Cubs, who are still searching for a true Game 1 starter
Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers have the best ability to maximize pitching, so trading for a rental like Skubal is not in the team’s nature. However, as the Brewers look to build a roster capable of competing with the Dodgers, this move would be as much about keeping Skubal away from Los Angeles as anything else
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Milwaukee has only been to the World Series once, in 1982, so at some point, the team has to go all-in to return to the Fall Classic. A playoff rotation headlined by Skubal and Jacob Misiorowski would likely be the best of any playoff team
Tampa Bay Rays
Like the Brewers, the Tampa Bay Rays aren’t typically the team to make a rental trade, but this year could be different. Tampa Bay currently has the best record in the American League and has the assets to make a splash as they hope to hold off the New York Yankees
However, the Rays have a strong pitching staff and are in much more need of offense, so a trade for Skubal doesn’t fit the roster’s needs. Tampa Bay did try to trade for a rental Shohei Ohtani in 2023, though, so there is some precedent of the team at least giving this type of trade a chance
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New York Yankees
The Yankees rotation is the strongest part of their team, now that Max Fried is healthy to join Cam Schlittler and Gerrit Cole. Still, you can’t count of New York’s front office, which has traded for its fair share of rentals over the years and are not afraid to make a bold move
