The San Diego Padres are staring at a trade deadline that could go in a lot of different directions, but one target keeps bubbling to the top: Tarik Skubal.
With the Aug. 3 deadline closing in, San Diego has work to do, and the biggest hole sits in the starting rotation. Injuries have taken a toll there all season, and if the Padres decide to buy, they could be in the market for more than one arm.
Skubal has already been tied to the Padres this year, and for good reason. The Detroit left-hander is the biggest name on the summer market, even if there’s no certainty he’ll actually be available.
Detroit has played better lately, and Skubal has said he wants to stay put and help the Tigers chase a playoff push. Still, because he’s set to become a free agent after the season, the Tigers could decide to move him rather than risk losing him for nothing.
That’s where A.J. Preller comes in.
Recent chatter has even suggested the Padres could drift toward selling at the deadline, but that’s never really been Preller’s style. If Skubal hits the market, the Padres president of baseball operations is expected to at least make the call and find out what it would take.
And rival clubs think Preller would be all over it.
According to MLB insiders Will Sammon, Patrick Mooney and Katie Woo of The Athletic, scouts and executives around the league believe Preller would love to somehow land Skubal. Their reporting put it plainly: “As long as Preller is in, don’t count him out. The Padres are a long shot for Skubal, but scouts and executives believe Preller would love to somehow snatch him,” Sammon, Mooney and Woo wrote.
If San Diego somehow pulled it off, the fit would be obvious. Skubal would instantly become the staff ace and give the Padres the No. 1 starter they badly need for the stretch run.
The risk, though, is just as obvious. Skubal could walk in free agency after the season, which would make any deal a dangerous bet unless Preller already has a plan to keep him around. And the price would be steep no matter what, especially with the Padres’ farm system not exactly overflowing with premium trade chips.
One possible path would involve top prospect Ethan Salas, though that would be a major ask. Salas is an important part of San Diego’s future and is in the middle of a breakout season.
Even with the cost attached, Skubal is the kind of pitcher who can change the conversation. If the Padres decide they want to chase a postseason spot, there may not be a more impactful arm available.
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