Should Seattle Mariners go all-in on trade for ace Skubal?

The rumor mill is starting to churn as the MLB offseason begins, and the Seattle Mariners are already a part of it.

M’s acquire RHP in trade, announce several roster moves

In an article published Wednesday morning, ESPN MLB insider Buster Olney mentioned the M’s as an expected suitor for the top arm thought to potentially be available on the trade market this offseason: Detroit Tigers ace and reigning American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.

Olney reported teams believe the Tigers will seriously consider moving their shutdown left-hander for the right deal. Here’s a look at some of what Olney said:

The Mariners are expected to be among the teams that go after Skubal, to bring him back to the city where he attended college. The Mets, of course, have an acute need for an ace to lead their rotation – a need borne out through their late-season collapse – and they have the sort of major-league-ready young talent that the Tigers will want, like Jonah Tong. The Red Sox are well-positioned to make a run at Skubal, if they want.

The only sure thing in this situation, it seems, is that Skubal will not sign a long-term deal with Detroit before he reaches free agency, and that will frame the Tigers’ decision-making.

Skubal, a Seattle U product, is entering his final year of club control in 2026.

Over the past two seasons, the flamethrowing southpaw has complied a 2.30 ERA and 0.91 WHIP while striking out 31.2% batters he’s faced. He’s racked up 469 strikeouts over 387 1/3 innings. And his 12.6 fWAR is 1.5 wins above replacement more than the second-best big league pitcher.

He’s favored to win his second straight Cy Young this year.

Co-hosts Michael Bumpus and Stacy Rost of Bump and Stacy, and Brock Huard and Mike Salk of Brock and Salk each weighed in on a potential trade for Skubal on the Seattle Sports airwaves this week.

‘Championship contending type of move’

With the Mariners currently in a window of contention thanks to the core group of players they’ve put together, Rost believes this is the kind of big swing Seattle should take, and it’s one that isn’t always available to the M’s.

“The Mariners will not be able to afford to compete with other teams for Skubal in free agency,” Rost said on Tuesday. “… Can they afford to trade for him more so than other teams? Yes. So what the Mariners are going to do (as) a draft, trade and develop team is they’re going to look at midseason acquisitions and just trades in general as their best way to add talent.”

Bumpus was also on board with the Mariners acquiring Skubal and thinks they should let it be known they’re trying do so.

“Here’s what this move is: This is a world-championship-contending type of move if you were to get this done,” Bumpus said. “Let the people know that if you don’t get it done … that you have tried to get this done.”

What would the cost be?

Olney mentioned the Tigers would want major-league-ready talent in a trade for Skubal. Salk thinks that would mean a deal headlined with a player like starting pitcher George Kirby heading to Detroit.

“Detroit’s in a win-now window themselves,” Salk said on Wednesday. “They were right there with you, arguably almost dead even. I mean, you beat them in the in the fifth game in extra innings to advance out of the (best-of-five games) ALDS. They were supposed to be the No. 2 seed or the No. 1 seed in the AL this year until they collapsed in September.”

Huard sees some pretty big risk in a trade for one year of Skubal.

“It is a lot for one year, and it’s for a pitcher who all of a sudden could have a little tinge in his forearm, which we saw three different Mariners stud pitchers this last year go through (arm injuries),” Huard said.

But it also might be one risk worth taking.

“If you want to take away anything from the postseason of any predictive nature of postseason play next year, it is you’ve got to have an absolute war daddy, a horse that that can pitch three times in a seven-game set and just be absolute lights out as this dude has been,” Huard said.

Should Seattle Mariners go all-in on trade for ace Skubal?

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