The Tampa Bay Rays have spent most of the season looking like one of baseball’s most complete teams, but the last week has put a few cracks in the picture. After getting swept in four games by the Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay has dropped five straight, a rough opening to the second half with the trade deadline now just two weeks away.
Even with that skid, the Rays still sit in first place in the American League East and own the best record in the AL. That’s exactly why this deadline feels different. Tampa Bay usually operates as a seller, but this year the club has every reason to be far more aggressive if it wants to take a real swing at October.
The question is who they’ll target. The Rays have been linked recently to players from the Minnesota Twins, but another name from the AL Central is now sitting near the top of the board.
According to contributors to The Athletic, who recently updated their big board with the deadline approaching, Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers is the top player available. And among the three teams listed as fits for the left-hander, the Rays made the cut alongside the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
That makes sense on paper. Tampa Bay has the kind of farm system that could get a deal done, even if the price would be steep. And if the Rays are serious about making a statement, Skubal would do exactly that.
The 2024 season has again shown why he’s viewed as one of the game’s premier arms. Skubal is 6-5 with a 2.83 ERA, and even after missing time with injury, he has returned to form and been one of baseball’s best pitchers.
For a Rays team sitting atop the league and staring at a wide-open American League, that kind of impact arm would fit the moment. If Tampa Bay wants to push in chips and go for it, Skubal is the sort of move that would announce it loudly.
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