This Braves-Tigers trade package could make moving Tarik Skubal worth it

On Wednesday, Bob Nightengale reported that the Braves were the favorites to land Tarik Skubal at the trade deadline.

It was a shock, to say the least; not because the Braves aren't in a position to win the World Series this year or because they don't have the pieces to pull it off, but because the Braves don't really do stuff like this. They've made some huge trades — the Matt Olson blockbuster with the Athletics in 2022 immediately comes to mind — but Olson had years of team control left. They also traded for Chris Sale in 2023, but that was when the Red Sox were absolutely desperate to get rid of him.

Skubal will have three months of team control left by the time the trade deadline comes around. The Tigers are not desperate to get rid of him. But, if Nightengale is to be believed, the Braves still intend on making a serious run at him.

The problem with Atlanta versus other named "best fits," specifically the Dodgers, is the relative weakness of their farm system. It's pitching rich toward the top, but they don't have much major league-ready position player talent up there.

So if the Tigers are going to deal with Alex Anthopoulos and the Braves at the trade deadline, they might have to get a little creative.

What would a Braves-Tigers trade package for Tarik Skubal look like?

The Tigers have been said to be seeking controllable pitching and a major league-ready bat in exchange for Skubal, at the very least. As we've established, the Braves don't have a ton of the latter, so it might boil down to whether or not Scott Harris is willing to accept a pitching-heavy package.

With the lack of pitching depth the Tigers have in their system, we should think the answer is yes.

The Braves are a pitching-savvy organization. Their Nos. 1 and 2 prospects, Cam Caminiti and JR Ritchie, are lefty and righty pitchers respectively. Ritchie might be preferable to the Tigers because he already has some major league experience. Despite having been sent down in late June, the Tigers could easily give him some runway at the end of the season.

Reliever Didier Fuentes, Atlanta's No. 12 prospect last season, is having a great rookie year out of the Braves' pen: a 2.51 ERA in 32 1/3 innings. Heaven knows the Tigers' bullpen needs some work as it is, and they'll be losing Kenley Jansen at the end of the season.

No. 27 prospect Patrick Clohisy, an outfielder, could get the job done. It seems unlikely the Braves would be willing to give up top outfield prospect Eric Hartman on top of Ritchie and Fuentes, but the Tigers also might not want to take him given how far away he is from the majors. Clohisy, by contrast, is expected to reach the majors in 2027 and has been having a respectable year at Double-A. There's a lot to be desired in terms of power, but his high marks in speed and defense would help a Detroit team severely lacking in both.

Harris is still clearly convinced that the team he's constructed will be able to pull itself out of the muck, but if they don't, a package like this could get a deal done.

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