The Milwaukee Brewers are one of the more intriguing teams to watch as the 2026 MLB trade deadline approaches. They could chase one of the biggest names on the market, or they could go shopping for cheaper upgrades and spread their resources around.
Tarik Skubal sits near the top of that board. He’s one of the best starters in the game, and on paper he would fit anywhere that wants a frontline arm.
Milwaukee would make sense as a landing spot. But USA Today’s Bob Nightengale laid out four reasons why a deal for the Tigers ace probably won’t happen.
“They simply don't believe that Skubal will be the magic elixir for all of their needs," Nightengale writes. "They still need a power bat.
They could use another late-inning reliever. They could use someone to step up and be that solid No. 3 starter.
Simply, there's too much risk for the Brewers to take on Skubal when they know they're going to be in the postseason, anyway."
That’s the heart of it. Milwaukee’s issues don’t stop at the rotation, and Skubal alone doesn’t solve everything. The Brewers still need offense, they still need help in the late innings, and they still need someone to fill out the middle of the rotation.
The price is another major hurdle. Skubal would cost a lot, even though he’s a rental starter making $32 million this season. He’s that good, which is exactly why the asking price would be so steep.
And if Milwaukee doesn’t see him as the piece that gets them past the Los Angeles Dodgers, then paying that kind of premium starts to look like a dangerous bet. Trading a haul for one arm could leave them short when it comes time to address the rest of the roster.
That’s where the Brewers’ deadline math gets tricky. They need a No. 3 starter, a power hitter and a late-inning reliever. If they commit too much to Skubal, it gets a lot harder to fill those other holes without giving up more valuable prospects.
So while the fit is easy to dream on - especially with the idea of Skubal joining likely NL Cy Young winner Jacob Misiorowski and breakout lefty Kyle Harrison - the reality may be much colder. Milwaukee may admire the talent and still decide the cost, and the risk, are too much.
Even so, the Brewers aren’t locked into one path. They could still make some interesting moves before the deadline, and they’re not completely out of the Skubal conversation yet. They could always change course and decide to go all-in for 2026.
In Other News...
Jason Benetti Made This Comerica Park Squirrel Moment Even Better
Comerica Park already has a reputation for oddball baseball moments, and this one fit right in when a black squirrel darted onto the field during the Tigers game against the Orioles. Before the grounds crew could corral it, Baltimore third base coach Buck Britton added to the scene by feeding the squirrel snacks, turning a simple delay into the kind of in-game interruption that gets remembered long after the final out.
Jason Benetti made the whole sequence even more entertaining with his play-by-play, tracking the squirrel as it kept slipping away from multiple grounds crew members before finally being caught. Once it was over, home plate umpire Bill Miller publicly thanked the grounds crew over the microphone, a small but fitting finish to one of those Comerica Park detours that reminded everyone how unpredictable a night at the ballpark can be. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Fans Wont Like The Latest Tarik Skubal Trade Idea
Tarik Skubal keeps coming up in trade chatter because he is the kind of arm that would instantly change the conversation for a contender, and ESPNs Kiley McDaniel added another layer to that speculation with a hypothetical deal involving the Rays. The idea underscores just how valuable the Tigers left-hander has become, even with the club still sorting through its own direction and looking at every move through the lens of where the season is headed.
What makes this latest proposal sting for Detroit fans is not just that Skubal is being floated at all, but that the return would come from Tampa Bays prospect depth, a reminder of how aggressively teams will chase impact pitching when they think the price is right. Nothing is official and no negotiations have been reported, but the fact that Skubal keeps surfacing in these conversations says plenty about the market around him and the questions the Tigers may eventually have to answer. [Read more 🡒]
Former Tigers Spark Plug Suddenly Feels Vulnerable In Detroit
The Tigers 2024 roster already looks a little different a year later, with Jason Foley now pitching for the Giants, Andy Ibez in the Mets Triple-A system and Justyn-Henry Malloy with the Rays Triple-A club. Even among the holdovers, the picture has changed quickly, and Matt Vierling is the clearest reminder of how fast a useful piece can slide from secure to uncertain in Detroit.
Vierling once filled a valuable role with his defense, versatility and steady presence around the clubhouse, but his grip on a roster spot no longer feels as firm as it did. A late-game swing-and-miss in Saturdays loss to the Royals only added to the sense that the Tigers may soon have to weigh whether his all-around value is enough to keep him in the mix if the roster starts to get squeezed. [Read more 🡒]