The Rays are in first place, but that hasn’t stopped the trade chatter from heating up as the Aug. 3 MLB deadline gets closer.
Tampa Bay enters play on July 27 with a 62-43 record, the best mark in the AL, and a three-game cushion over the New York Yankees in the AL East. Even with that lead, the expectation is that the Rays will still look for help to strengthen their hold on the division.
That’s why Jim Bowden of The Athletic pointed to Detroit left-hander Tarik Skubal as the “perfect trade target” for Tampa Bay. It’s a big-name fit on paper, and one that makes immediate sense given what Skubal has done over the last few seasons.
Skubal has established himself as one of the premier pitchers in the sport. He has won back-to-back AL Cy Young Awards, leading the league in ERA and bWAR in both seasons, and in 2024 he also paced all of baseball in wins, bWAR and strikeouts.
Even with a left elbow injury and May surgery to remove loose bodies, Skubal has still put together a strong season. In 15 starts, he owns a 2.70 ERA with 110 strikeouts, 13 walks and a 0.922 WHIP across 90 innings.
For Tampa Bay, the appeal is obvious. The Rays already have a rotation built around Drew Rasmussen, Shane McClanahan, Nick Martinez, Griffin Jax and Ian Seymour, and it has been solid this year. Adding Skubal at the top would change the ceiling of the group in a major way.
Of course, the biggest question is whether Detroit would actually move him. Skubal is set to become a free agent after this season, and the Tigers are sitting in fourth place in the AL Central at 50-56, which gives them a reason to consider dealing him for a return at the deadline.
Bowden was blunt about where he thinks this could go: "I don't think Detroit is going to keep [Tarik Skubal]. It would be a big mistake."
If the Rays could pull it off, the impact would be enormous. Skubal would give them a real boost in their push to stay ahead of the Yankees, and he’d also raise their chances of making a deep postseason run and reaching the World Series.
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