Brewers Reaching Out To Slumping Tigers About Tarik Skubal

[Steve Drumwright]

 

With the Detroit Tigers now having lost three in a row and having to leapfrog five teams in the AL wild-card standings, suitors are starting to contact the team about adding two-time reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal.

One of five teams mentioned by The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal on Tuesday, a day after the Tigers' 8-5 loss to the Baltimore Orioles, is the Milwaukee Brewers.

As expected, it would take a huge haul for the prize of this year's trade deadline. On top of being a two-time Cy Young, the left-hander has regained that form after having some bumpy starts (from a Skubal perspective) following a nano-needle procedure to remove a single bone chip from his left elbow. In his last start, Skubal struck out 12 over 7⅓ innings in a 2-1 win over the Kansas City Royals on Friday.

Skubal is scheduled to make his final start before Monday's trade deadline Wednesday.

Rosenthal notes that front offices kept their distance as the Tigers hovered on the line of contending, but following Monday's loss five teams had plans to touch base again and possibly ramp up negotiations for Skubal. Joining the Brewers in that pursuit are the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees and Atlanta.

The Brewers have the No. 1 farm system in all of baseball, according to several outlets, so there is no shortage of prospects to pull from. Rosenthal says that Scott Harris, the Tigers' president of baseball operations, would likely ask to have access to every player in any suitor's system. For the Brewers, that would include Double-A shortstop Jesus Made, the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball by most outlets and obviously the No. 1 by Brewer Fanatic, as well as High-A shortstop Luis Pena, Brewer Fanatic's No. 2 prospect.

The Tigers would no doubt be in search of a young pitcher as well, which could put right-hander Logan Henderson in play.

A move for Skubal by the Brewers would harken back to the 2008 blockbuster for left-hander CC Sabathia, who put together a storybook run en route to getting the Brewers to the postseason for the first time since 1982 and then cashed in with a huge free-agent contract. Like Sabathia was, Skubal will be a free agent following the season. He is making $32 million this year.

 

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[adambr2]

lol okay well go ahead and ask I guess 

[adambr2]

In the end, he’ll be traded to the Dodgers for like their 6th, 9th, and 14th best prospects because that seems to be how it usually goes.

[Brock Beauchamp]

4 minutes ago, adambr2 said:

lol okay well go ahead and ask I guess 

Yeah, go ahead and ask about Made as nicely as you like, I suppose.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

2 minutes ago, adambr2 said:

In the end, he’ll be traded to the Dodgers for like their 6th, 9th, and 14th best prospects because that seems to be how it usually goes.

Someone needs to explain to me how soon-to-be 28-year-old River Ryan STILL ranks among the top 100 prospects in all of baseball. I mean, at what age can a player no longer be labelled a "prospect"?

[narwhalattack]

9 minutes ago, Ron Robinsons Beard said:

Someone needs to explain to me how soon-to-be 28-year-old River Ryan STILL ranks among the top 100 prospects in all of baseball. I mean, at what age can a player no longer be labelled a "prospect"?

Knowing the media’s hard-on for big-market teams, a moldy slice of cheese in their cafeteria would constitute as a prospect.

[long ball]

I wouldn’t trade Made. I probably wouldn’t trade Peña. I have a prospect crush on Adamczewski and would prefer to keep him. The rest of the prospects yet to make their debut I could probably be convinced individually are worth trading for Skubal. 
 

I don’t want to trade Henderson even though I understand the injury risk may be higher on him than our other pre-arb starters. 
 

I know you have to give something to get something, but I’m not sure the Brewers would be willing to give up a good enough centerpiece to make a deal. And my message board GM feeling is that I wouldn’t either. 

[JoeyWiemerTruther]

They think they’ll get the #1 prospect in baseball for 10 starts of Skubal? Lololololol

[snoogans8056]

Henderson has more trade value than Skubal.

[JoeyWiemerTruther]

51 minutes ago, Ron Robinsons Beard said:

Someone needs to explain to me how soon-to-be 28-year-old River Ryan STILL ranks among the top 100 prospects in all of baseball. I mean, at what age can a player no longer be labelled a "prospect"?

Cause he’s a Dodger of course. Older than Juan Soto. Meanwhile Andrew Fischer is on pace for a 40 HR season and isn’t even in the top 100

[39Streak]

Tigers need to google:  Doyle Alexander Trade

 

Brewers management isn’t 1980’s Tigers FO dumb.

[adambr2]

4 hours ago, adambr2 said:

In the end, he’ll be traded to the Dodgers for like their 6th, 9th, and 14th best prospects because that seems to be how it usually goes.

I didn’t realize when I typed this that giving the Tigers their 6th 9th and 14th best prospects is STILL giving them two top 100 prospects. That’s freaking disgusting. 

The Dodgers are basically us except with unlimited resources. 

There’s a reason we can never really expect to close the gap with them, just have to get lucky one year.

[OldHeidelberg]

49 minutes ago, adambr2 said:

I didn’t realize when I typed this that giving the Tigers their 6th 9th and 14th best prospects is STILL giving them two top 100 prospects. That’s freaking disgusting. 

The Dodgers are basically us except with unlimited resources. 

There’s a reason we can never really expect to close the gap with them, just have to get lucky one year.

Yes, when I read your first post I was thinking there may be squawking here about us giving up OUR 6th, 9th, and 14th best prospect for Skubal. 🙂

But he us about as high end a rental as you will find, I wouldn't blink at all about putting Henderson on top of the deal. But if Logan is the controllable starter they insist on I think the next piece falls below the Josh A/Fischer/Payne line but not by much. Probably 2 more guys in our top 20 to get it done. Dodgers will probably top it anyway but at least make them pay through the nose. Adding Skubal would be worth it, if it happens I don't think many here will be bemoaning the price. Too much fun to be had. 

[wallus]

Skubal's trade value on BTV is 58 right now. I feel like that is insane.

[CheeseheadInQC]

4 hours ago, JoeyWiemerTruther said:

Cause he’s a Dodger of course. Older than Juan Soto. Meanwhile Andrew Fischer is on pace for a 40 HR season and isn’t even in the top 100

Ryan didn’t start focusing on pitching until he was 23, was cracking top 100 lists when he debuted in the big leagues less than 3 years later, then got hurt, missed a year-plus, and is back to showing why he was a top-100 guy before the injury. This isn’t someone who stalled out in the minors, then started dominating once he had more experience than the guys he was facing. I was really hoping he would be included back when it looked like the Brewers might deal Burnes to the Dodgers.

[brewmann04]

Brewers should not overpay for a rental

[wiguy94]

47 minutes ago, wallus said:

Skubal's trade value on BTV is 58 right now. I feel like that is insane.

Maybe that hasn't been updated in a while? That is impossibly high. He'll be owed like $10M the rest of the year. No way he's giving a team near $70M worth of value in 10 starts

[wallus]

8 minutes ago, wiguy94 said:

Maybe that hasn't been updated in a while? That is impossibly high. He'll be owed like $10M the rest of the year. No way he's giving a team near $70M worth of value in 10 starts

Current as of 7/26 supposedly. 

[wiguy94]

Just now, wallus said:

Current as of 7/26 supposedly. 

Fascinating. I'd love to know how they get to that number.

[Snoebird]

16 hours ago, Ron Robinsons Beard said:

Someone needs to explain to me how soon-to-be 28-year-old River Ryan STILL ranks among the top 100 prospects in all of baseball. I mean, at what age can a player no longer be labelled a "prospect"?

Old Man River jus' keeps rollin' along.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

11 hours ago, CheeseheadInQC said:

Ryan didn’t start focusing on pitching until he was 23, was cracking top 100 lists when he debuted in the big leagues less than 3 years later, then got hurt, missed a year-plus, and is back to showing why he was a top-100 guy before the injury. This isn’t someone who stalled out in the minors, then started dominating once he had more experience than the guys he was facing. I was really hoping he would be included back when it looked like the Brewers might deal Burnes to the Dodgers.

I get it. He's a late bloomer. Still ... there are plenty of those types in the history of MLB, and they have not populated the MLB Pipeline Top 100. Of course, most have not worn Dodger Blue either.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

11 hours ago, wallus said:

Skubal's trade value on BTV is 58 right now. I feel like that is insane.

BTV holds about as much legitimacy as Fangraphs ... i.e. pretty much nothing. They lost me years ago when they admitted to going in and adjusting player trade values post trade in order to make their valuation system look more accurate. Their whole schtick is a joke. 

[CheeseheadInQC]

23 minutes ago, Ron Robinsons Beard said:

I get it. He's a late bloomer. Still ... there are plenty of those types in the history of MLB, and they have not populated the MLB Pipeline Top 100. Of course, most have not worn Dodger Blue either.

I guess I just don’t care. If you think he can step in and be a 3 right away with potential to spend most of his team control a 2, that is a top 100 guy even if his age related regression will likely start soon after. A lot of pitching prospects have warts. Henderson was quite rightly a top 100 guy on some lists despite his injury woes. Stuff talks.

[Jopal78]

12 hours ago, wallus said:

Skubal's trade value on BTV is 58 right now. I feel like that is insane.

Certainly Detroit’s front office is noticing how Boston got back in the race and how Minnesota has gotten back in the race. Cleveland came back from the dead in ‘25.

It’s not as though their roster lacks the talent to compete with anyone in the AL, they simply have under achieved all season.   I’m starting to think their GM won’t have the nerve to throw in the towel on 2026 and break up the 200M payroll team. . 

[wibadgers23]

Detroit might be able to get back into the race but they also have to be realistic and do what's best for the future of the franchise. I know that's easier said than done though.