Tarik Skubal is having a fantastic year on the mound for the Detroit Tigers, but there's a chance he doesn't finish the season with them.
USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported on Sunday that the Tigers are listening to offers for their lefty ace, with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles leading the chase to land him. According to Nightengale, "The Detroit Tigers are engaged in talks with the Baltimore Orioles and Dodgers for Skubal."
It's possible the Tigers are just gauging Skubal's value and seeing if they get overwhelmed by a deal. But if he was available, the 27-year-old would immediately become the top player on the market.
Through 19 starts this season, Skubal is 10-3 with a 2.41 ERA, a 0.88 WHIP and 140 strikeouts against 21 walks in 116 innings. Among qualified pitchers in Major League Baseball, he's second in ERA, second in WHIP, fifth in strikeouts, third in FIP (2.57), first in WAR (4.5) and fifth in fWAR (3.4). He has been dominant and is the current favorite to win the American League Cy Young Award.
Skubal is making $2.65 million this season and is under team control through the 2026 campaign, though he'll be due a hefty raise in arbitration. Still, he's a top of the rotation starter in a market where there aren't many available.
If the Tigers did decide to move Skubal, they could demand an incredibly high price for his services. It could represent a franchise-changing move. Detroit entered Sunday with a 49-50 record and sits 11 games back in the AL Central and five games out of the final wild card spot.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Tigers Listening to Trade Offers for Tarik Skubal, per Report.
