With the Aug. 3 MLB trade deadline quickly approaching, all eyes are on the Detroit Tigers as they potentially consider deals for Tarik Skubal.
The left-hander has been somewhat ineffective since returning from his NanoNeedle procedure last month but would be a huge acquisition for any team trying to bolster their rotation for the stretch run.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have been loosely linked to Skubal as they deal with several key injuries in their starting rotation. While the possibility of the two-time Cy Young Award winner landing in L.A. is a daunting thought for other teams, San Diego Padres All-Star Mason Miller does not believe it would be an unnecessary move.
“I mean, it would certainly help,” Miller said. “He’d help any team he went to. But yeah, they’ve got a strong rotation, a lot of guys that are going to get healthy and help them out. So I don’t necessarily consider it overkill. You know, anybody, any given night.”
The Dodgers entered the 2026 season with one of the deepest rotations in baseball, led by Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow. However, the latter two have missed a significant chunk of the season due to injury.
With Snell and Glasnow expected to return at some point, the Dodgers might decide to pursue upgrades at other positions leading up to the trade deadline.
Skubal, who is one of the best pitchers in baseball when healthy, would give the two-time defending World Series champions an even bigger edge when it comes time for October baseball.
Will the Tigers trade Tarik Skubal?
Skubal’s pending free agency after the 2026 season has fueled the belief that the Tigers will look to trade him before the deadline. Though, a trade is far from certain as Detroit has played much better baseball as of late to crawl back into the playoff picture.
The cost to land Skubal is also expected to be exorbitant, which could turn away some interested teams. Not only that, but the looming lockout and potential implementation of a salary cap in the next collective bargaining agreement (CBA) could give clubs pause when it comes to parting with significant resources to acquire a player of Skubal’s caliber.
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