The Los Angeles Dodgers may be the team to watch if the Detroit Tigers decide to listen on Tarik Skubal.
That’s the read from Will Sammon, Patrick Mooney and Katie Woo of The Athletic, who identified the Dodgers as a better fit for the left-hander than the Tampa Bay Rays, even though Tampa Bay has been mentioned as a dark horse in the chase. The reasoning is simple enough: Los Angeles has the prospect depth and the financial muscle to chase a pitcher of Skubal’s caliber, and if the Dodgers decide he’s the kind of arm that can help them chase a third straight World Series title, they have the resources to make it happen.
The Rays, though, are hardly an afterthought. They enter the deadline in strong position, sitting at 59-42 with the best record in the American League.
Tampa Bay leads the New York Yankees by 2.5 games in the AL East and holds a seven-game edge over the Boston Red Sox. If there’s a club with reason to push chips in, it’s them.
And the Rays have shown before that they’re willing to act when the moment calls for it. In 2021, they brought in Nelson Cruz, an All-Star that season, to help as a designated hitter.
They also made a run at Shohei Ohtani before he left the Los Angeles Angels in free agency for their rivals, offering Junior Caminero and Carson Williams. That kind of pursuit is what keeps Tampa Bay in the conversation here, even if adding a rental of Skubal’s stature is not their usual lane.
If the Rays did land him, the fit on paper would be nasty. Skubal alongside All-Stars Drew Rasmussen and Nick Martinez, plus Shane McClanahan, would give Tampa Bay one of the strongest starting rotations in baseball.
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Even after missing a month because of injury, Overn has kept the overall line strong, with a high batting average and the kind of stolen-base production that keeps him in motion whenever he reaches. The bigger question now is less about whether the bat is real and more about whether he can stay on the field long enough to keep building on it, something he has made clear is at the top of his list. [Read more 🡒]
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Rays Face Defining Deadline Pressure With AL East Lead At Stake
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The Yankees are expected to make moves, and the Red Sox could join the buyers market after their recent surge, which only raises the stakes for Tampa Bay. Around the league, the Rays have been tied to a handful of names as analysts try to map out what kind of addition would make the most sense, but the real question is whether the front office will treat this as a chance to reinforce a first-place team or a moment to stay patient and let the market come to them. [Read more 🡒]