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A look at what it would take the San Diego Padres to trade for Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal.
Heading into this winter, the Detroit Tigers were expected to trade two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal.
As we are merely a few weeks from spring training, nothing has come to fruition. The most recent indications are that the Tigers will hold on to their ace, as the team is built to win now and certainly not in a hurry to deal their best pitcher for prospects.
The Padres need pitching, and adding a pitcher of the caliber of Skubal would instantly catapult the Padres’ staff into one of the best in the league. Unfortunately, the Padres do not have the pieces that the Tigers would require in any deal for Skubal.
Or do they?
Detroit is looking for immediate pitching help to replace Skubal.
In their mind, they assumed they could acquire two major league established pitchers for the 2024 and 2025 Cy Young Award winner, but that isn’t happening. A team like Seattle with multiple young pitchers is balking at the idea of trading young, controlled pitchers for a rental. Even if said rental is the best left-handed pitcher in the league.
On the open market, Tarik Skubal is likely to command near 12 years- $325 million for his services. That is what the Dodgers paid Yoshinobu Yamamoto before the start of the 2024 season. That kind of money puts his availability to a limited number of teams when he hits free agency.
Detroit is at a point where they realistically know they are not going to pay Skubal.
They can trade him now and get decent value. They could also hold on to him and deal him at the trade deadline, but the price tag will be diminished, as he would be a half-season rental. The third alternative is to hold on to him and allow him to leave, collecting a draft pick in return. If you are a Tigers fan, none of these is comforting.
San Diego has pitching prospects, but the valuable ones are all in their first or second year of pro ball. They will take time to develop, and that is not necessarily what the Tigers crave right now. In order to satisfy their fans, they must acquire players who can provide value in 2026 for the team.
In looking at the Padres roster, a few pitchers make sense.
The elephant in the room is Mason Miller. He throws 105 mph and is under team control for the next four seasons. The closer is one of the best pitchers in the league, but given his contract and team control, you could easily argue that he is worth more than Tarik Skubal. The Tigers would need to upgrade the Padres if these two names exchanged teams. Yes, they would.
Adrian Morejon is heading into his last season of service. Like Skubal, he will be a free agent after the season. The Padres would love to keep the lefty as he is a pivotal part of the bullpen. However, if Detroit has some interest, Morejon is a decent starting point in a potential deal. The Padres would obviously pay more in this proposed deal.
The third option for the Tigers is Nick Pivetta. The right-handed pitcher is coming off his best season in the majors and owns back-to-back player options for the 2027 and 2028 seasons. The Padres could package several players around Pivetta, providing multiple players for Detroit to utilize in the upcoming season. Jeremiah Estrada, David Morgan, Matt Waldron, Randy Vasquez, and Wandy Peralta all make sense to a certain degree.
This all comes down to the Detroit Tigers and what they crave.
Pivetta would give them a veteran pitcher to help replace Skubal, but there would need to be multiple upgrades for this to happen. Perhaps Pivetta and Morejon make sense to them. But from the Padres’ perspective, does losing two pitchers hurt the team too much? Tarik Skubal is a beast, but the Padres need quantity as well as quality in the starting staff.
Mason Miller for Tarik Skubal is intriguing, but the Tigers would need to upgrade San Diego. That sounds silly, but it’s true. That idea in itself could kill this whole concept, as the Tigers have it in their minds that they will get a huge return for their ace. Not trade away more talent. However, four years of Mason Miller may be worth it for the Tigers. They would obtain a star in return for Skubal and may be inclined to deal a few prospects or rostered players to get it done.
Food for thought for you Padres fans.
A.J. Preller is always on the prowl. Anything can happen. If you think the Padres are not capable of obtaining Tarik Skubal, then you are new around here.
James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. James has written about the Padres and their prospects for over a decade. He also writes about San Diego State as well as other local sports. James is the Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.
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