Tigers Rumors: The Athletic names sleeper suitor in potential Tarik Skubal trade

Even with the Tigers' heartening sweep of the Rays to start the month of June, it's beginning to feel more and more inevitable that they're going to trade away left-handed ace Tarik Skubal. With the team having struggled so badly coming out of May, and the fact that Skubal is going to be a free agent after this season, now might be the time to deal him so the Tigers at least get something for him.

While it’s easy to assume that one of the big-payroll teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers or New York Yankees will get him, The Athletic recently threw the Tampa Bay Rays out there as a surprise potential suitor for Skubal.

Jim Bowden lists the Rays as a sleeper team in the Skubal sweepstakes. Despite having just been swept by the Tigers, Tampa Bay is having a strong season. Entering play on Friday, the Rays are a game ahead of the New York Yankees for first place in the American League East.

Many think the Rays won’t be able to sustain their play so far over the course of the entire season, but adding an ace like Skubal, and perhaps more importantly preventing him from going to the Yankees, could flip that entire race on its head.

Bowden writes that the Rays could make an enticing offer to the Tigers, given their strong farm system. He thinks that if the Rays offered Theo Gillen, Anderson Brito, Ty Nichols, and Victor Valdez, that would be enough to land Skubal.

Gillen would be the centerpiece of that trade from Detroit’s perspective. He's the No. 1 prospect in Tampa Bay’s organization and is expected to make his big league debut in 2028. He could be a key part of a future outfield with Max Clark.

Right-handed pitchers Brito and Nichols are also top-10 prospects in the Rays organization. The hope would be at least one, ideally both, could be in Detroit’s rotation someday.

Valdez would be a nice wild card, as he’s currently 17 years old. He’d be more of a lottery ticket with the hope that he could develop into a solid player down the road.

Would Rays really give up that much for Skubal?

That wouldn’t be a bad return from Detroit’s perspective. It’s questionable whether the Rays would be willing to give up that much for Skubal, though, when they would almost certainly not sign him in free agency. That would be a very expensive rental for a team that usually doesn't make huge moves like that.

Big-market teams like the Yankees, Dodgers, and Chicago Cubs all seem to be much likelier destinations, but the Rays are a team to keep an eye on if they are serious about making a run this season.

No matter what, if they find themselves in a position where they absolutely have to trade him, the Tigers should entertain any and all offers for Skubal and allow teams to outbid one another for his services. They hold the cards, so they are in a good position to get a huge haul.

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