Tarik Skubal is going to be the most sought after pitcher if he lands on the trade block. There’s no doubt that MLB teams like the LA Dodgers and the New York Yankees go all out to pursue him. However, they are not the only top ranked team to have set their sights on the reigning Cy Young winner. MLB analysts have revealed the dark horse team set to pursue Skubal ahead of August 3.

“It doesn’t look like quite as attractive as it did,” Ken Rosenthal said on Foul Territory. “So, why wouldn’t the [Atlanta] Braves be involved?”

The Atlanta Braves (48-29) have emerged has one of the top ranked teams this season, often holding the MLB-best record. However, some problems have slightly slowed down the Braves recently. In June, the franchise currently holds a 8-9 record.
Their pitching staff has taken hit with Spencer Strider being sidelined for a month. As the team advances deeper in the season, the Braves would need a starter to record wins for them. None better than Skubal to get the job done for Atlanta.

It’s been only a month since Skubal has returned to pitching for the Tigers after his elbow surgery. He has recorded two stars since his return, taking a loss in his first one. In his latest start against the Chicago White Sox, the Cy Young winner has given up 3 earned runs on 7 hits, including two homers. However, his strikeout count has increased to 8.

Skubal’s outings show he is still getting used to throwing post surgery. His two shaky starts have risen Skubal’s season’s ERA to 3.02.

However, a few shaky starts post surgery is unlikley to decrease his value at trade deadline as long as he regains his form. If Detroit becomes sellers at the deadline, multiple teams will be pursuing Skubal undoubtedly. But the price to acquire the $32 million pitcher is not going to be cheap.

Now, as Rosenthal points out, the question is: Do they (Braves) want to take on the money? Do they want to take on that kind of money for a rental? All of that remains to be seen, but there’s no reason to believe that the Braves would not be in this mix.

Whichever team ultimately ends up acquiring Skubal, the fact remains he won’t be there for long. Skubal is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2026 season. So it remains to be seen how far Alex Anthopoulos is ready to go for Skubal, even for a few months. According to Buster Olney of ESPN, Anthopulos might be ready to make some aggressive moves.

“And look, you know, Alex Anthopoulos’ trade history is that when he feels like he has a team that has a chance to win, he’ll make aggressive moves,” said Olney on 680 The Fan.

Anthopoulos did the same during their World Series year in 2021 as well, following Ronald Acuna Jr.’s injury. He executed an outfield overhaul, acquiring Joc Pederson, Adam Duvall, Eddie Rosario and Jorge Soler. This year, with Strider and Spencer Schwellenbach on the IL, Anthopoulos has the reasons to aggressively pursue Skubal. Furthermore, their farm system has become better, with emerging players like JR Ritchie. Depending on what the Tigers want, the Braves may need to send some of their top prospects to match Skubal.

However, with the Tigers winning 4 out of their last 5 matches, whether Detroit ultimately puts Skubal on the trade block remains to be seen. Meanwhile, Tarik Skubal has issued a message for his clubhouse.

Tarik Skubal sends message to the Tigers clubhouse

11 games below .500, the Detroit Tigers have currently established themselves as one of the bottom tiered teams of the AL. Being fourth in the AL Central, the Tigers (34-45) are five games away from a Wild Card spot. However, their one bright point is the Tigers have their ace, Tarik Skubal, back. But he is also the same player whom every team is ready to pursue at the trade deadline. Furthermore, he is also drawing a $32 million salary inn the year he becomes a free agent. In such a scenario, Skubal himself addressed the issue about the trade rumors surrounding team.

But instead of speaking about his next potential team, Skubal emphasized on playing good baseball for Detroit. He wants to help the Tigers not become sellers in August.

“The reality of the situation is, we need to play better baseball,” Skubal told the Detroit News earlier this week. “I’ve said that before, and I’ll continue to say that. My belief in this group has never changed. But the reality is, we need to play better baseball, or else come the deadline, you give the front office an option to reassess where this team is.”

Its not much of a secret that the Tigers are not playing well. They have been through ups and downs during their last couple of series. The Houston Astros defeated the Tigers 2-1, then Dertroit swept the Chicago White Sox. As for the Yankees, they are currently levelled at 1-1. The series finale will decide the winner. However, it did not change the fact the Tigers have only a 25% chance of making it to the playoffs, per FanGraphs. They would need nothing short of a miracle to salvage the season. But as Skubal highlighted playing good baseball would be the first step.