One of the Boston Red Sox’ top priorities this offseason is to find a second ace to pair with Garrett Crochet, similar to 2004 when they had Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling. One option that’s been getting thrown around lately is to bring in Crochet’s rival: Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.
Skubal seems to be on the way out from the Detroit Tigers, and with a year left on his contract, they’ll be looking to trade him. Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly believes the Sox are one of the top teams that could trade for him, using two of their rising stars to headline the trade.
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“Boston has $21.05 million coming off of the books from Walker Buehler, and it's possible Lucas Giolito—who made $19 million in 2025—will opt out and depart in free agency. From a financial perspective, the Red Sox could afford to add Skubal. It's unclear if the Tigers would be interested in Kristian Campbell, but Marcelo Mayer is ready to take over on a full-time basis at the MLB level somewhere in the infield. Connelly Early and Payton Tolle are two intriguing young lefties that could also entice the Tigers,” Kelly wrote.
If the Sox can manage to get Skubal to sign an extension, they definitely should make this trade. Hopefully, they’ll retain Mayer and Early, and push Campbell and Tolle as the main parts of their trade, along with a couple more prospects.
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This would be the second blockbuster trade the Sox make for a pitcher in two years, with last year the Sox trading for Crochet. With how that turned out, getting Skubal would definitely be worth it.
Hopefully, they realize that, and start crafting an offer to send to the Tigers right away.
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