Heading into the MLB trade deadline, the Detroit Tigers are expected to be one of the more active teams. Whether it's landing a new third baseman, reliever help, or going after a new starter, the Tigers will be involved in the trade market.
For David Schoenfield of ESPN, the Tigers could make a major splash at the deadline. He proposes the Tigers offer a "Godfather" offer to the Pittsburgh Pirates for ace Paul Skenes.
The proposal would send Max Clark, Kevin McGonigle, Jackson Jobe, Colt Keith, and Sawyer Gipson-Long to the Pirates for Skenes. As part of this article, Schoenfield also presented packages from the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets for Skenes, but he explained why the Tigers' offer was the best of the bunch.
"It will take one of the best farm systems in the sport to acquire Skenes," Schoenfield writes, "And Detroit is incredibly well positioned to make this kind of deal, with depth at both the major league and minor league levels, not to mention a payroll with one one expensive long-term commitment in Javier Baez."
Landing Skenes would take a haul of prospects, but among the teams in baseball, Detroit would have the best options for the Pirates to consider. This proposal would have the Tigers giving up a ton of young talent, but it'd immediately make the Tigers' rotation the best in baseball.
MORE: Paul Skenes says 'it would be cool' to talk with Tigers' Tarik Skubal at All-Star game
Skenes, Tarik Skubal, and Casey Mize would be the best 1-2-3 rotation in baseball by far, with Skenes and Skubal two of the best pitchers in the sport at the moment.
This season, Skenes has a 1.94 ERA, a 4-7 record, and 125 strikeouts. His team in Pittsburgh isn't giving him any help, but he's still pitching at an elite level. His 4.8 WAR is the most of any pitcher so far this season, just ahead of Skubal's AL-leading 4.5 WAR.
Skubal this season is right up there with Skenes for the top pitcher in baseball. He has a 2.02 ERA, a 10-2 record, and 148 strikeouts. Both have been among the best pitchers in baseball this season, and combined with 2024, both have a strong case to be the best in the sport over the last two seasons.
Having both on the same team, going back-to-back in the rotation, would be a ridiculous combination. While this proposal has Detroit getting up a haul, the thought of having Skenes and Skubal together in a rotation is tantalizing.
It's an unrealistic proposal, as the Pirates are adamant they aren't trading Skenes. But if he were to become available, the Tigers would have the prospects to get a deal done. It's a "Godfather" offer, one that'd be hard for Pittsburgh to turn down.
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