Blockbuster Phillies Trade Proposal Lands All-Star Pitcher in a 4-Player Deal

The Philadelphia Phillies starting rotation has been great this season. However, the team is still looking to add arms to the group, according to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi. A trade proposal from Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer sends Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers to Philadelphia in a four-player deal.

Rymer proposed this player swap that brings Skubal to Philadelphia:

• Phillies receive: left-handed pitcher Tarik Skubal
• Tigers receive: outfielder Justin Crawford, right-handed pitcher Andrew Painter and third baseman Aidan Miller

“The phrase ‘Herschel Walker trade’ gets thrown around a lot, but this is a Herschel Walker trade,” wrote Rymer. “In this package are the Phillies’ three best prospects, whose total surplus value comes out to $102.5 million. A Skubal-sized sum, in other words.”

Rymer noted that Skubal is estimated to have $105.9 million in surplus value according to Baseball Trade Values. Painter, Miller and Crawford are the Phillies No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 prospects respectively.

Phillies Part With Their Top 3 Prospects in Proposal

“A Tarik Skubal trade makes sense only if the Tigers obtain *multiple players* seen as future All-Stars,” Morosi wrote on X on July 17. “The Padres met this standard in their 2022 deal for Juan Soto & Josh Bell: CJ Abrams, James Wood, MacKenzie Gore, Robert Hassell III, Jarlin Susana & Luke Voit.”

In Rymer’s proposal, the Phillies would send their top three prospects to the Tigers. Not only are they the Phillies’ top prospects, but all three are on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects list. Painter is the No. 19 overall prospect, Miller is No. 26 and Crawford is No. 54.

Rymer noted that unloading the farm system shouldn’t be ruled out while the World Series window is wide open. The Phillies have the best record in MLB at 64-37.

“The Phillies acquiring Skubal would be the ultimate case of president of baseball operations David Dombrowski leaving nothing to chance,” wrote Rymer. “He loves star players, and adding another one to this roster would only make the Phillies even more of a favorite to win it all.”

Skubal Could Strengthen an Already Great Rotation

“Skubal would be a game-changer for so many teams,” a National League executive said, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. “I’m not sure why the Tigers would trade him, but if they do, they’re going to get a haul in return.”

Skubal is having a career year. He has an American League-best 2.34 ERA, is tied for the second-most strikeouts in the American League (146) and was named an All-Star for the first time this year.

“His claim to the throne of Best Pitcher in Baseball is strong indeed. Between the 20 starts he’s made in 2024 and the 15 starts he made in 2023, he’s on a 35-start run marked by a league-best 2.52 ERA and 6.9 times as many strikeouts as walks over 203.1 innings,” wrote Rymer. “What’s under the hood looks just as good. It’s especially hard to not be a fan of Skubal’s fastball, which touches 100 mph, and changeup, which comes with a 47.0 whiff rate.”

The Phillies rotation is already the best in baseball in terms of ERA. Their starters have a league-best 3.20 ERA this season. As a team, the Phillies are No. 2 in ERA, trailing the Seattle Mariners by the thinnest of margins.

The Phillies had three members of their rotation named to the All-Star game. Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez and Ranger Suárez all earned All-Star honors. Skubal would bring a fourth All-Star to the Phillies rotation.