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The Atlanta Braves have been leading the way in the NL East all year and hope to compete for a World Series title, but the fact of the matter is, beyond Chris Sale, who do you trust to start games for them? The rotation is a massive question mark, and addressing it should be Alex Anthopoulos' No. 1 deadline priority. There's no better starter he can realistically acquire than Tarik Skubal.
Skubal is far from a sure thing to be traded, with the Detroit Tigers hanging around in the AL Wild Card race, but The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal ($) noted that the Tigers are considering accepting a Skubal package that'd help them compete now and in the future. They'd do that by acquiring a controllable starting pitcher alongside prospect capital. FanSided's Christopher Kline came up with a package consisting of prospect Cam Caminiti alongside controllable pitchers Hurston Waldrep and Didier Fuentes, but this updated Skubal package based on pitchers Rosenthal believes the Tigers might want could be what gets a deal done.
This updated Braves-Tigers trade for Tarik Skubal puts Atlanta squarely in World Series contention
Rosenthal lists AJ Smith-Shawver and JR Ritchie as starters the Tigers might want for Skubal. This mock trade has Detroit receiving Ritchie alongside Eric Hartman and John Gil, two position player prospects who can help them in the future.
Both fan bases are sure to have issues with this mock proposal, but there's reason to believe it makes sense for both sides.
Would the Braves do this trade?
Acquiring Skubal not only makes the Braves much better, but it also ensures that teams they're sure to be competing with, like the Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, and the Chicago Cubs, don't get him, and that matters almost as much. There's no sugarcoating the kind of impact Skubal, the back-to-back Cy Young winner in the AL, would have on this Braves team. Can you imagine having Sale and Skubal combine to start four or five games in a given postseason series? They'd be incredibly tough to beat.
The asking price is, obviously, substantial. JR Ritchie is the best pitching prospect the Braves have to offer, and Eric Hartman is one of the top 50-ish overall prospects in the sport, and that might be underselling him. Adding in John Gil, who has hit 11 home runs and stolen 38 bases this season in High-A while playing the premium position of shortstop, and you have yourself quite the package, especially for a two-month rental.
I'd be willing to do this trade because the Braves should have enough pitching depth without Ritchie, and while losing the prospects hurts, prospects are not sure things. Plus, these prospects in particular are at least a year away from debuting, if not more.
I have doubts that Alex Anthopoulos would be willing to part with both Ritchie and Hartman for a rental, though. Again, it's a ton, but to outbid teams like the Dodgers and Brewers, Atlanta will need to go the extra mile. Doing so might make them favorites to win the whole thing given how good their bullpen has been all year and how good their lineup is at full strength.
Verdict: Probably not, but they should
Would the Tigers do this trade?
Should the Tigers do this trade? I think the answer is unequivocally yes. I do not think the Tigers are in the World Series conversation given their record and the roster they have, and because of that, keeping Skubal, a free agent they're unlikely to re-sign, rather than trading him for this kind of haul would be insane. Whether they would or not is another question.
Deciding between JR Ritchie and AJ Smith-Shawver as the controllable starter is not easy. I went with Ritchie because not only does he have the tools to be a rock-solid mid-rotation starter, but I have more faith in him producing this season. That's no slight to Smith-Shawver, who has pitched well in the majors before and has looked good on his rehab assignment, but it traditionally takes pitchers a while after getting Tommy John Surgery to recapture their previous form. If the Tigers hope to compete right now, Ritchie might give them a better shot.
He's been pitching mostly out of the bullpen for Atlanta in his first taste of the majors, but he already has three appearances in which he's gone at least five innings and allowed two earned runs or fewer, showing off his upside. He can realistically start games for the Tigers right now, and while it might take him a bit to find consistency, he could be a rotation fixture for the better part of the next decade in Detroit.
As good as Ritchie is, he might not even be the best piece in the deal. Eric Hartman's stock has risen as much as any prospect this season, going from relative afterthought to the best prospect in this system. He has the blend of power and speed that teams covet, and he's put it all together this season at High-A. John Gil isn't quite as highly touted as Hartman, but he, too, has tons of speed and a good amount of power, and the fact that he's a shortstop who should stick at the position helps, too.
If the Tigers decide to trade Skubal, this would be a very good return. It'd meet their rumored asking price, if not exceed it, given how good a prospect Hartman is.
Verdict: Yes, if they decide to trade Tarik Skubal
More MLB news and analysis:
- MLB playoff picture, bracket and predictions after 100 games
- The definitive list of MLB trade deadline buyers and sellers, according to an MLB Insider
- Updated NL Cy Young rankings after Jacob Misiorowski shortened return for the Brewers
- How the Phillies can catch up with the Dodgers in 4 trade deadline moves
- The secret to Rafael Devers' turnaround is ridiculously simple
This article was originally published on fansided.com as Updated Braves-Tigers trade for Tarik Skubal would meet Detroit's rumored asking price.
