Tigers Ace Tarik Skubal's Trade Odds Are Higher Than Expected

Between now and the Aug. 3 Major League Baseball trade deadline, all eyes around the league are going to be on Detroit Tigers superstar Tarik Skubal. 

He has been consistently talked about as a potential trade chip, but could the Tigers actually trade the two-time reigning American League Cy Young Award winner away?

Well, ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel certainly made it sound like it’s not only a possibility, but that it is very likely and gave Skubal an 85 percent chance of being traded.

“No. 1. Tarik Skubal, LHP, Detroit Tigers,” Passan and McDaniel wrote. “Chance of being traded: 85 percent. Rest-of-season impact: Game-changing. Years of control: Just the remainder of 2026. The buzz: Skubal returned from midseason bone chip surgery in record time and hit 99.9 mph with his fastball, so any concerns about his stuff returning have been answered. His future depends on whether the Tigers can muster a run at an American League playoff spot.

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“Considering the hole they’ve dug themselves, they are far more likely than not to move Skubal — beyond their six-game deficit for the final wild card, they are behind six other teams — and they will squeeze every ounce of value out of the best pitcher in the world.”

If Skubal is moved, he will absolutely shake up the playoff race this fall. He’s so good to the point that he can transform the race himself. For example, if the Atlanta Braves or Milwaukee Brewers were to land Skubal, they would immediately be the favorites over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League. If the Dodgers got him, the season would be over. The Dodgers would win the World Series. The American League is weak. If any of the clubs in the playoff race landed him, they would have a shot at winning the American League in general. 

All in all, it sounds like Skubal will be moved. 

More MLB: Insider Explains Why Red Sox’s Trade Deadline Approach Is ‘Complicated’