Getty Tarik Subal celebrating during a July 7 game against the Cincinnati Reds.
Pitching has been a roller coaster for the 2024 Baltimore Orioles. With the July 30 trade deadline looming, they’re showing interest in a deal for the Detroit Tigers‘ ace, Tarik Skubal, according to Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci.
“The Los Angeles Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles, two first-place teams who know they are not October ready, have the same name at the top of their shopping list: left-handed ace Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers,” Verducci wrote in his July 15 column.
Verducci wrote that he could not confirm Detroit’s interest in trading the ace but noted that it would take a high-end offer to pry the lefty away from the Tigers.
“There is no indication yet whether Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris will move Skubal, though both Los Angeles and Baltimore have the rich prospect capital to make such a trade discussion interesting,” Verducci continued.
Skubal, the No. 1 pitcher for Tigers, is among the best starters in the majors, pitching 116 innings in 2024, throwing 140 strikeouts and holding a 2.41 ERA.
Orioles’ Farm System Is Full of Prized Talent
As of July 15, Verducci reported only the Dodgers and Orioles as interested parties.
But regardless of how that list decrease or expands, Baltimore should feel comfortable in their ability to outbid almost any team.
Home to the league’s best ranked farm system, the Orioles and general manager Mike Elias have the tools to pull off a blockbuster. The only question is whether or not he is willing to.
Baltimore has three prospects in the Top 15, according to MLB.com. Assuming that Jackson Holliday is off the table — and Verducci himself wrote that he was — that leaves Samuel Basallo and Coby Mayo.
Basallo, a catcher, faces a tough road to the majors as long as he’s a member of the Orioles.
Adley Rutschman, arguably the face of the franchise, is a mainstay at catcher. He’s playing in his second All-Star game and leads all catchers in WAR.
That would seemingly open Basallo up to being traded elsewhere, for a top talent like Skrubal. The 27-year-old lefty is under team control for two more years following the 2024 season.
Los Angeles, conversely, has two prospects in MLB’s Top 100. Would the Tigers settle for quantity over quality?
Baltimore’s Pitching Staff Is Banged Up
As of July 16, the Orioles were down all of Danny Cuolombe (expected out until September), Kyle Bradish (out for season), John Means (out for season), Tyler Wells (out for season). That’s three starters and the team’s best reliever.
Corbin Burnes, Dean Kremer, and Grayson Rodriguez are the only remaining mainstays in the rotation.
The need for more pitching is impossible to ignore, despite the team’s 58-38 record.
In a July 11 column for The Athletic, Jim Bowden reported that Baltimore’s had talks with at least three other teams.
“The Orioles have been linked in trade talks with the White Sox, Blue Jays and Rockies on their available starting pitchers,” Bowden wrote.
The Orioles acquiring pitching help seems a sure thing. But the quality, and quantity of those pitchers, is to be determined.
Baltimore looks the part of a World Series hopeful.
They can make their place in the MLB hierarchy known at the trade deadline, if they land a blockbuster pitching addition to an AL East-leading roster.
A deal for Tarik Skubal would fit the bill.