Detroit Tigers LHP Tarik Skubal is one of the biggest names on the MLB’s trade market this offseason. Like any big-name pitcher who’s coming up on being too expensive for a team like the Tigers, Skubal is being linked to the high-rollers: the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, and the Boston Red Sox.
The Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham envisioned what a Skubal trade could look like for the Red Sox, believing it could cost the team one of its top hitters and one of their bargain bin starting pitchers.
"Consider this high-stakes gamble: A team could trade for Detroit left-hander Tarik Skubal knowing his salary for 2026 will be roughly $18 million because he’s in his final year of arbitration. That’s a tremendous bargain for a pitcher who made 31 starts last season with a 2.21 earned run average and an 0.89 WHIP. Skubal should win his second consecutive Cy Young Award when the results are announced Wednesday. He also has a 2.04 ERA in six postseason starts over the last two seasons,'' Abraham wrote.
“What would the Sox have to give up to get Skubal? It starts with Payton Tolle and could include Jarren Duran.”
The Red Sox have a likely strong bidding war this offseason for Skubal. ESPN’s Buster Olney believes the Mets have the makings of a strong suitor for the Detroit ace with their young assets.
“The Mets, of course, have an acute need for an ace to lead their rotation -- a need borne out through their late-season collapse -- and they have the sort of major-league-ready young talent that the Tigers will want, like Jonah Tong,” Olney wrote.
Skubal is an innings eater who works well with most catchers because of his accuracy. His fastball and changeup do the heavy lifting, but he has a deep bag of pitches with difficult movement for hitters to track.
There’s no wonder several contending front offices are trying to figure out what it’d take to land the 28-year-old.