Tarik Skubal has become the name to watch as the trade deadline creeps closer, and the Detroit Tigers left-hander is drawing attention well beyond the usual contenders.
If the Tigers slide out of the postseason picture and decide to sell, the back-to-back AL Cy Young Award winner could suddenly be in play. The obvious landing spots would include pitching-needy clubs like the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs. But one AL East team has emerged as a real threat to jump into the mix: the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Athletic’s Katie Woo, Will Sammon and Patrick Mooney labeled Tampa Bay the “dark horse” for Skubal, and they made it clear why the Rays belong in the conversation.
"If Skubal becomes available, the industry expects the [Tampa Bay] Rays to act aggressively. The Rays and the Yankees are the two top teams in what is otherwise a mediocre American League," The Athletic trio wrote. "They are looking for a starter, and Skubal, alongside Drew Rasmussen and Shane McClanahan, would create a formidable trio for the playoffs."
That kind of move would change the balance in the American League fast. With the Yankees still sitting in the mix and the rest of the league looking relatively open, Tampa Bay has a real opportunity to go after a serious October upgrade.
The Rays have shown before that they’re willing to push chips in when the moment calls for it.
"According to multiple executives, whenever the Rays’ playoff odds are high, they’ve always tried to go big-game hunting," The Athletic wrote. "One year, they added Nelson Cruz. Another year, they tried for Shohei Ohtani."
That history is exactly why the Skubal buzz matters. Tampa Bay is not the kind of team that sits quietly when a top-end arm is available. If they decide to make a run at him, the Yankees and Boston Red Sox could find themselves staring at a tougher climb in the division.
Boston is already back in the AL East race after a 15-game winning streak, and as of Thursday, the Yankees were 2.5 games behind Tampa Bay.
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