Bullet point summary by AI
- With the Tigers struggling near the bottom of the standings, one of baseball’s top pitchers, Tarik Skubal, is receiving serious trade interest.
- Rival executives believe his value is tied to his grueling schedule and health issues following recent surgery.
- The next few weeks will test whether Detroit will keep their star or become a major seller at the deadline.
With the Detroit Tigers losing 14 of their last 16 games and falling to 20-31, last place in the American League Central Division, there will only be more talk about Tarik Skubal’s blockbuster potential ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
John Heyman new york post It reported that the possibility of a trade is “increasing.” So what will it take for a team to lure Skubal away from Detroit? I posed that question to three rival executives.
What do MLB executives think the Tigers can get from Tarik Skubal?
executive 1“I don’t think anyone can answer that. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pitcher bounce back from such a bizarre injury. There are so many factors at play because he’s playing for a team that’s trying to win on its own. If I had to answer, it would be one top-100 prospect, one top-15 prospect, and one more pitcher.”
I asked him if he could do that for me.
“The Padres will,” he replied.
executive 2: “I’m sure it is. [Dave] Like Dombrowski [AJ] Preller gets top prospects. Others are treating it like Wall Street or asset value, so my guess is he’ll have a few top 10 prospects in the coming months. or [Andrew] Friedman could go out and get him. He boosts the team’s chances of winning the World Series by a pretty big margin. He made two starts in that five-game series. Friedman understands him, that’s my expectation. ”
executive 3: “It’s very hard to tell, but I think you’ll start with the top 50 players and the top 100 players. If it’s the top 10 players of the game, then maybe a top 100 player as well (plus maybe a throw-in type or two. In scouting terms, you’ll probably start with two ‘B1’ grade players, then a couple of ‘C’ grade players as well.)
“That said, Skubal is a tough two-month rental with injury risk, as it would be difficult for a team to come up with the nearly $12 million to $14 million they would have to pay after an unbudgeted trade. Teams don’t usually have a chunk of extra cash in the middle of the season, so you need an ownership group willing to find the extra cash. If the Tigers pay the salary, the return could be better.”
Tariq Skubal’s trade depends on his recovery from surgery
As executives noted, any potential trade for Skubal is dependent on his health. He had surgery to remove a loose body in his left elbow two weeks ago and was expected to be out for two to three months. The surgery used a NanoScope to reduce the invasiveness of the procedure and to remove loose bodies. And Skubal has progressed to the point where he’s throwing bullpen sessions, with the star left-hander pitching multi-inning sessions designed to simulate game action.
“Today was a certain speed that we were trying to achieve,” Skubal told reporters Thursday morning. “I have to prove to my body that it’s okay to throw hard again, especially. [with] It’s the 15th day since the surgery. Let your body and brain know that you don’t need a governor and that it’s okay to throw faster and compete. I have a velocity number that I was trying to hit. And I was able to hit the ball, so it was a good day. ”
When healthy, Skubal is arguably the best pitcher in baseball. The 29-year-old has won back-to-back Cy Young Awards and has posted an ERA under 2.80 in each of the past four seasons. Before the injury, he was again dominant, posting a 2.70 ERA (2.11 FIP) in seven starts, and in the offseason was strengthening his position as a starting pitcher to earn the richest free agent contract in baseball history.
If healthy, Skubal should break New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole’s nine-year, $324 million contract this winter. But the conversation has shifted to the possibility of a midseason trade. The Tigers will want to compete and grab the star left-hander. However, if he continues to slump and falls out of postseason contention and proves to be healthy after surgery, he could become the most coveted player on the trade market in years.
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