July 22, 2026
Brad Penner/Imagn Images
Will the Phillies be in on the biggest prize on the trade market?
The biggest trade deadline prize — and it's really not even close — is Tigers reigning back-to-back AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.
After an injury cost him a handful of starts, the lefty is again mowing down hitters as usual, with a 2.83 ERA over 14 starts for mostly non-competitive Detroit. He becomes a free agent at the end of the year, and the Tigers know they can load up on some talent for the future if they find the right trade suitor before the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
So just how expensive would the starter be to a team like the Phillies?
The Tigers are at least mulling the possibility of securing a package for Skubal that potentially would keep them strong in the present while making them stronger for the future.
The way they would do it, according to two rival executives briefed on the Tigers’ thinking, is by trading Skubal for a controllable starting pitcher plus quality prospects. The starter would replace Skubal in the rotation, backfilling his innings but almost certainly providing lesser performance. [The Athletic]
The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon later contemplate that, among six teams likely to be buying and looking for rotation help, the Phillies can fit this theoretical asking price. But the writers say it would cost Andrew Painter, the one-time No. 1 prospect in the organization.
Painter is 23 and struggled in 14 appearances this season with a pretty ugly 7.06 ERA. He's been better in the minors since a demotion, and is far from a lost cause. Painter alone wouldn't be enough either, but as a centerpiece flanked by a few other top-20ish prospects, perhaps a deal gets done.
There are a few questions. Like, would the 29-year-old Skubal sign an extension with the Phillies beyond 2026, making this deal really worth it? And would the Phillies be willing to shell out north of $30 million per year to what would be a fourth highly priced starter?
In 2027, Zack Wheeler, Cris Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo and Aaron Nola will be paid a combined $107.5 million. That's more than the Guardians and Marlins pay for an entire roster.
Another question is whether the Phillies would be better off giving Painter another shot, or using him to bring in a veteran to help in another are of need like the bullpen or the batting lineup, a star like Byron Buxton or Francisco Lindor.
It's a matter of resources and need. And the Phillies will have a tough decision to make in the coming weeks.
They also don't need one upgrade. They need two, or three, or even four.
But if Skubal is really available, and the Phillies can trot him out alongside their three other aces, the Phils might jump from World Series hopeful to World Series favorite. A pitcher that good doesn't become available often.
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