How could arguably the best starting pitcher in MLB be available in a trade?
With now-two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal one year away from free agency and the superstar left-hander and Detroit Tigers reportedly having a nine-figure gap in extension talks, there’s an at least greater-than-zero percent chance that a trade could happen this offseason.
Of course, any potential trade offer for Skubal – even with the risk of losing him for nothing in free agency – is going to cost a team multiple top prospects and emerging young MLB players. But if Skubal is attainable for the king’s ransom, teams will be making the call. Here are three best trade fits for Skubal should Detroit entertain such a move.
Tarik Skubal has won two American League ERA titles. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
As great of a season as the Blue Jays had before disaster struck in Games 6 and 7 of the 2025 World Series, that campaign came with a starting rotation that was 20th in MLB in ERA (4.34). Acquiring Skubal would take this roster to the next level from a talent standpoint.
Kevin Gausman was great in both the 2025 regular season and postseason for Toronto; Trey Yesavage was a breakout star in the postseason; having a healthy Shane Bieber and Chris Bassitt will be crucial for the Blue Jays in 2026. Add Skubal to the mix and Toronto has an elite starting staff that will help them fend off the New York Yankees – who finished with the same number of wins as the Blue Jays (94) – Boston Red Sox and potentially resurgent Baltimore Orioles for the American League East in 2026.
Skubal, who dominates with his changeup, four-seamer and sinker, would provide an elite pitcher in his prime who throws gas to be the backbone of Toronto’s pitching staff. Skubal’s theoretical arrival also takes some of the pressure off both Bassitt and Bieber to be 100% during the season and Yesavage to build on his 2025 postseason. The Blue Jays could make a trade proposal for Skubal that includes left-hander Ricky Tiedemann, right-hander Gage Stanifer and shortstop and 2023 first-round pick Arjun Nimmala.
Why isn’t Toronto higher on the Skubal list? Despite their inconsistencies on the hill, the Blue Jays still managed to be two outs away from winning the World Series, and there are two other teams who came nowhere close to that potential feat. Plus, Detroit would likely require Yesavage to be part of any trade involving Skubal.
Tarik Skubal has led American League pitchers in WAR in each of the past two seasons. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
One year ago, Chicago’s starting rotation was a strength. Last season, it was a mixed bag, and adding a top-of-the-rotation pitcher is of the essence this offseason.
Matthew Boyd was tremendous for the Cubs last season, and Cade Horton (2.67 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 23 appearances/22 starts) was spectacular in his first stretch as an MLB starting pitcher. At the same time, left-hander Shota Imanaga and midseason pickup Michael Soroka are free agents, and even if Justin Steele (UCL surgery) makes a full recovery, another arm is needed on the rotation front. How about a trade for the best left-hander in the sport?
Skubal recorded a 2.21 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 241 strikeouts in 195.1 innings pitched (31 starts) in the regular season, which he followed up by posting an absurd 1.74 ERA, 0.68 WHIP and 36 strikeouts in 20.2 innings pitched in the postseason (three starts). He’s exactly what the Cubs, who were one win away from advancing to the National League Championship Series, need: an ace.
Skubal would put the Cubs in the Milwaukee Brewers‘ ballpark when it comes to winning the National League Central. Chicago can headline a trade package for Skubal around outfielder and 2025 first-round pick Ethan Conrad, catcher Moises Ballesteros and right-hander Jaxon Wiggins. There just happens to be a team in the Northeast that needs to make a rotation splash that much more than Chicago.
Tarik Skubal has posted a WHIP below one in each of the past three seasons. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
If Skubal can be had, the Mets make the most sense for a trade.
A benefit to New York’s historic spending under owner Steve Cohen since the 2021-22 offseason is that there have been few blockbuster trades, outside of Francisco Lindor. Rather the Mets’ biggest moves have been signings – Juan Soto, Max Scherzer, Starling Marte, re-signing Brandon Nimmo. In other words, because the Mets have primarily done their damage on the free-agent market, they can afford to trade from the top of their farm system (e.g. a trade offer based on infielders Mark Vientos and Luisangel Acuna and right-hander Jonah Tong, among others) for a player worth doing so like Skubal.
The Mets have a top-10 offense from a talent standpoint, but their starting rotation overperformed in the first half of 2025, and it caught up to them down the stretch. David Peterson has the potential to be a plausible, top-of-the-rotation arm; when healthy, Kodai Senga is a dominant force; Clay Holmes held his own in his first starter as a starting pitcher; maybe young right-hander Nolan McLean becomes a fixture in 2026? But New York, which finished the 2025 season with a 4.13 starting rotation ERA – 18th in MLB – doesn’t have a bonafide, proven ace on its staff, a void that Skubal would fill up and overflow.
If Skubal, who will be 29 at the start of the 2026 MLB season, anchors New York’s rotation and its club bounces back from a cataclysmic collapse – they missed the playoffs with just 83 wins despite being firmly in playoff position for the entire season against the backdrop of a $342 million payroll – the Mets are the best team in the National League East and the biggest threat to the Los Angeles Dodgers winning a third straight NL pennant.
This is a move that would make the Mets a legitimate World Series contender – and they most definitely have the coin to make Skubal the highest-paid pitcher in MLB history the following offseason.
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
