Only time will tell, but the Tigers did little to strengthen the case for keeping Skubal in the Motor City on Wednesday. In what could prove to be the two-time AL Cy Young winner’s final start with the organization, Detroit squandered a 7-0 lead in a 10-9 extra-inning loss to the Baltimore Orioles, falling to seven games under .500.
The loss dropped the Tigers to 6.0 games back of the AL Central lead and 4.5 back of the final wild-card spot in the American League and sent their playoff odds to 25.7 per cent as of late Wednesday night, per FanGraphs.
It pushes Detroit into the unenviable position of having to decide whether to keep its ace and try to go on a second-half run, or to deal the pending free agent for a king’s ransom ahead of Monday’s 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT trade deadline.
Should the Tigers opt for the latter, there’s sure to be no shortage of suitors for Skubal’s services.
But which contender is set up best to meet Detroit’s asking price?
The Tigers surely plan on returning to contention in 2027 and beyond. So, multiple reports suggest they are seeking a controllable starting pitcher, along with some combination of top prospects in any potential trade for Skubal.
With all that out of the way, here’s a look at six rumoured landing spots for the 29-year-old southpaw and what each might be able to offer Detroit to swing a blockbuster ahead of the deadline.
Let’s start with the elephant in the room. If there’s one team that could pay the steep price for Skubal and not be left worse for wear should he leave in the off-season, it’s the Dodgers. And with Shohei Ohtani currently shut down from pitching and Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell working their way back from respective injuries of their own, might Los Angeles be motivated to give its rotation the ultimate shot in the arm for another post-season run?
Seems like we might have seen this movie before.
The Dodgers have a pair of natural fits on the young, big-league-ready pitching front in all-star Justin Wrobleski and Emmett Sheehan, who both could immediately step into Detroit’s rotation. On the prospect side, L.A. boasts six prospects in Baseball America’s top 100 — four of whom are outfielders — meaning it could easily tap into that depth and further cement its status as the modern Evil Empire in baseball.
We’ve heard in the lead-up to this year’s deadline that the Brewers intend to be more aggressive in the trade market in pursuit of a significant talent upgrade. If there’s ever a year for Milwaukee to push the chips in, this might be the one. It currently holds a six-game lead in the NL Central and has been among MLB’s best run-scoring and run-prevention teams through 108 games.
Not only are the Brewers positioned well in the standings, but they also have a little bit of everything the Tigers are looking for. Logan Henderson, Kyle Harrison and Brandon Sproat are all young pitchers with both MLB experience and years of team control. Beyond that trio, Milwaukee features the top-ranked prospect and farm system in baseball, with 19-year-old shortstop Jesus Made headlining a group of young talent that has a nice blend of upside, depth and proximity to the majors across multiple positions.
Although it’s unlikely that the Brewers would deal Made for a true rental, they have a number of highly regarded prospects behind him who would certainly fit nicely into the Tigers’ plans.
Much like the Brewers, Tampa Bay sits comfortably in the post-season picture, has been linked to some of the top players available this month and operates one of the deepest prospect groups in the sport. The Rays’ rotation is fourth in MLB with a 3.49 ERA, but both Shane McClanahan and Drew Rasmussen come with lengthy injury histories and could give Tampa Bay reason to seek a top-of-the-rotation arm for October.
The Rays don’t have as much established major-league pitching that perfectly aligns with Detroit’s theoretical ask, but they do have a pool of intriguing arms in triple-A that might fill the void. Right-hander Brody Hopkins headlines that group, which also includes Michael Forret and Ty Johnson. Tampa Bay could also draw from its group of position-player prospects. While it lacks the Dodgers’ or Brewers’ abundance of talent close to the majors, the system includes top prospect Theo Gillen, catchers Nathan Flewelling and Caden Bodine, and infielders Cooper Flemming and Taitn Gray.
As Toronto Blue Jays fans might recall, Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos has been in this position before. Anthopoulos brokered Toronto’s swing for pending free agent ace David Price at the 2015 trade deadline, landing the southpaw from the Tigers for Daniel Norris, Matthew Boyd and Jairo Labourt.
That move turned out pretty well for the Blue Jays, as Price posted a 2.30 ERA and helped Toronto claim the AL East title, so what’s stopping Anthopoulos from shooting his shot at a Skubal-Chris Sale-led rotation?
Atlanta has the young pitching. AJ Smith-Shawver, JR Ritchie, Owen Murphy and Didier Fuentes have all gotten their feet wet in the majors, and Cam Caminiti and Briggs McKenzie are intriguing arms lower in the system. The rest of the Braves’ farm has improved in 2026 as well. With Canadian outfielder Eric Hartman leading the charge, Atlanta might have the depth to entice Detroit on a deal if the Tigers are willing to take a shot on players in the lower minors.
Chicago CubsRecord: 61-47Baseball America farm system rank: No. 16
If there’s one team in the playoff mix that most desperately needs a Skubal-like addition at the deadline, it’s probably the injury-riddled Cubs. With starting options Justin Steele, Cade Horton, Edward Cabrera and Ben Brown all on the injured list, any rotation add would be a boon for Chicago’s chances of doing damage in October.
But of all of the teams listed here, the Cubs may have the least compelling package to offer up to the Tigers. Perhaps Detroit could be swayed by the inclusion of Brown or Cabrera in a potential deal, but beyond those two, Chicago’s top pitching prospect, Jaxon Wiggins, began the year dealing with an elbow injury and owns a 9.19 ERA and 20 per cent walk rate since returning to triple-A. So, if the Cubs are to emerge as a top bidder, it would likely take Detroit being enamoured by members of Chicago’s young position-player corps in the minors.
Although there is truly no such thing as having too much starting pitching, are the Yankees prepared to spend the assets required to land Skubal while facing more glaring needs elsewhere on the roster? With Cam Schlittler, Max Fried and Gerrit Cole in tow, along with Carlos Rodón, Ryan Weathers and Will Warren, New York should have enough rotation depth to navigate October.
But if the Bronx Bombers are seriously set on making a run at Skubal, they might not have the trade chips to stack up with some of the other contenders listed above. Reports say that New York is unwilling to deal top prospect George Lombard Jr., which would mean that its top offer to Detroit would likely be some combination of Warren, flame-throwing prospect Carlos Lagrange or Elmer Rodriguez, 2025 first-rounder Dax Kilby and outfielders Jasson Dominguez or Spencer Jones — a package that might lack the upside the Tigers would need to ultimately ship Skubal away.
