The only trade package Tigers should accept for Tarik Skubal if push comes to shove

Word on the street is that the Tigers will be keeping Tarik Skubal this offseason, but there's always a caveat: if the front office gets an offer they can't refuse, they'll have to consider it.

There are only a handful of teams that have the kind of prospects to could get it done, and they're basically the same teams expected to swarm to Skubal in free agency, if the Tigers let him get that far. The Dodgers, Red Sox, Phillies, and Mets all have the juice.

The Dodgers' gluttony knows no bounds, but their rotation is currently full and is arguably the best in baseball. The Mets gluttony also knows no bounds, and they're perhaps the most desperate team in the game right now after spending $765 million on Juan Soto only to miss the postseason entirely.

Mike Puma of the New York Post speculated on what it might take for the Mets to overwhelm the Tigers for Skubal this offseason and reported that the internal belief "it would take four top prospects to acquire Skubal — perhaps three rated in organization’s the top 10 and another within the top 20."

That sounds about right. Tigers fans don't want to see Skubal go anywhere, but Scott Harris is a shrewd operator. If the Mets came to him with this offer, it'd be almost impossible for Harris to say no.

Tigers should accept nothing less for Tarik Skubal than this trade package for three top-five Mets prospects (and more)

Nolan McLean, Carson Benge, Jonah Tong, and Zach Thornton are the Mets' Nos. 1, 2, 4, and 23 prospects respectively. McLean, who made his MLB debut this season, has been previously said to be off the table in trade discussions, but the Tigers shouldn't move forward with a trade unless he's included. If he's a non-starter for the Mets, then the Tigers shouldn't move on Skubal.

The Tigers have a lot of outfielders, but other than Riley Greene and maybe Kerry Carpenter, none have proven themselves to be must-have, everyday players. That's where Benge, who rocketed all the way from High-A to Triple-A this season, would come in. An outfield made up of Greene, Max Clark, and Benge by 2027 could be elite.

Tong also made his debut this season and looked a little shaky, but reloading the rotation with two rookies if Skubal departs (and Casey Mize and Jack Flaherty to possibly follow after the 2026 season) would give the Tigers a fully controllable, potential-filled rotation for the better part of a decade.

No one here is advocating for a Skubal trade, but it's no secret that his trade value is at its highest now, when the buying team could have him for an entire year. If it's destined to happen, let it be for nothing less than this package.