The Detroit Tigers are sitting at 20-31, and that record’s got people talking about what happens if they become sellers at the trade deadline. The biggest name that could move? Tarik Skubal, the ace left-hander who’s won back-to-back Cy Young Awards.
Detroit doesn’t want to trade Skubal, but if they keep losing, it might be their best option to restock the farm system. So what’s a pitcher of his caliber worth on the trade market?
Robert Murray of Fansided.com checked with MLB executives to get a sense of Skubal’s trade value, and the responses show just how much teams would pay for a few months of elite pitching.
“If I had to answer, I’d say one top-100 prospect plus a top-15 and one more throw in,” one MLB exec told Murray.
That’s solid value – a top-100 prospect across all of baseball, plus a team’s top-15 farmhand, plus another piece. For a rental, even a premium one like Skubal, that’s the kind of package that makes trading him worthwhile.
Another executive saw it differently:
“My guess is a couple of top 10 prospects for a couple of months of him.”
Now we’re talking about multiple prospects from a team’s top-10 list. That’s where things get interesting for Detroit’s front office.
But the third executive gave the most eye-opening projection:
“I think it would start at one top-50 and another top-100 prospect. If it was a top 10 prospect in the game, maybe it could be that plus a fringe top-100 guy also (plus probably 1-2 throw-in types).”
A top-10 prospect in all of baseball. That’s franchise-altering talent, the kind of player you build around for years.
What makes this fascinating is that we’re talking about a rental here. Skubal’s set to hit free agency after this season, so any team trading for him is paying premium prices for a playoff push and maybe a shot at an extension.
The consensus seems clear though – multiple high-end prospects, likely from a team’s organizational top-10, plus additional pieces depending on the headliner.
From where I’m sitting, that kind of return would be tough for Detroit to pass up if they fall further out of contention. Skubal’s been brilliant, but he’s also 27 and heading for a big payday that the Tigers might not be able to afford.
The trade deadline’s still a ways off, but if Detroit keeps struggling, this could be one of the biggest moves of the summer. Teams desperate for ace-level pitching don’t come around often, and when they do, they’re willing to pay top dollar.
