Could Detroit Tigers megastar Tarik Skubal be traded this winter, and if so, could the Boston Red Sox get involved in the sweepstakes for Skubal? Believe it or not, buzz has begun to circulate that Skubal might be moved. At the very least, it’s not considered an impossible scenario.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal was asked on a new episode of “Fair Territory” this week if Skubal could be traded this offseason.
“The answer is yes,” Rosenthal replied.
“And the reason is, he is one year away from free agency. He is a guy who obviously is at the top of his game. He’s going to win his second straight Cy Young Award, and the Tigers, while they might want to keep him, and while they might have the resources to keep him, I would not expect that they’re going to be able to sign him to an extension before he hits the open market.”
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“Skubal is represented by Scott Boras,” Rosenthal continued. “Scott Boras clients … generally prefer to establish their values on the open market through free agency. And certainly, if you’re Tarik Skubal, yeah, you want to do that.”
“So could the Tigers blow (Skubal and Boras) away?” Rosenthal continued. “I guess that’s possible, but I don’t expect that to happen. So if you’re looking at the potential loss of a pitcher of this caliber, yes, you have to entertain the idea of trading him and getting more than a draft pick in return, because if you put Tarik Skubel out on the open market, not the open market for free agency, but I’m talking about the trade market, you’re gonna get some interesting offers.”
“I can think of one team, in particular, that could badly use Tarik Skubal, and it’s the New York Mets,” Rosenthal added.
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“And that’s just one team. Every team would want him. He is that good. So, if you’re the Tigers, yes, you have to entertain this rather than face the risk of losing him for only draft pick compensation. It’s simply good business.”
Rosenthal’s take on Skubal isn’t flawless. For one thing, “good business” for the Tigers would be, above all else, to retain Skubal at any cost.
That being said, Rosenthal’s assessment of Skubal hitting the open (free agent) market is plausible, which in turn could theoretically convince the Tigers to entertain the idea of trading him in the coming months.
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That leaves the door of possibility slightly cracked open for the Red Sox, who would theoretically have the chance to form one of the most dominant starting pitching duos in the history of the sport if they were able to place Skubal alongside Garrett Crochet in Boston.
Don’t get your hopes up, Red Sox fans, as this is still closer to fantasy than reality. Even so, it’s fun to dream.
Featured image via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
