There are only a handful of MLB teams that even have the firepower to potentially land Tarik Skubal in a massive blockbuster trade. You could consider the Philadelphia Phillies one of those teams, as they might have a combination of trade capital and a strong cast of productive MLB players to make a deal work.
A recent trade rumor piece by Bleacher Report strikes up one trade all 30 MLB teams could make, and the Phillies were the lucky team being predicted to land the most coveted arm in baseball.
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Phillies Floated as Trade Destination for Tarik Skubal
The Phillies lost Ranger Suarez this offseason and will also have to prepare for life after Zack Wheeler in the coming years. This has left Philadelphia in a clear “win now” mode, which is the reason they are floated by Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer as a destination for Tarik Skubal:
“Philadelphia Phillies: Tarik Skubal from Detroit Tigers“
“Once again, we’re treating a Skubal trade as something the Tigers should do only if another team is desperate enough to knock their socks off. And to this end, the Phillies are the only team that really makes sense. With their core stars all getting old fast, they’re not so much “win now” as “must win now.” They also have the prospect depth to the Tigers to listen, especially if they were to float Andrew Painter as a headliner.”
GettySEATTLE, WASHINGTON – OCTOBER 10: Tarik Skubal #29 of the Detroit Tigers celebrates after striking out Cal Raleigh (not pictured) of the Seattle Mariners during the sixth inning in game five of the American League Division Series at T-Mobile Park on October 10, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
The tricky part of this hypothetical is how much capital it would take the Phillies to acquire the back-to-back AL Cy Young winner.
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What Would it Take to Acquire Tarik Skubal?
Whether or not the Detroit Tigers are seriously taking offers for starter Tarik Skubal, the best thing to speculate is how many players it would take to make a deal work.
As Rymer outlines, for the Phillies, Andrew Painter would almost certainly have to headline the deal, but would the Phillies consider giving away Justin Crawford as well?
How safe would players like Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott be?
A fair assumption would be that five players could get a deal done for Skubal, but the mix of MLB-ready guys and prospects would be up to Detroit to weigh, as this would be a franchise-altering move.
As always with Skubal, it’s important to note that he’s set to hit free agency after this season, and this could be the chance for Detroit to get a big return if they don’t anticipate signing him to an extension.
Also fair to note, Detroit signed Framber Valdez to a lucrative contract extension this offseason, which might further push the idea of a Skubal trade.
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Phillies Predicted to Land Tigers’ Tarik Skubal in Recent Rumor Piece