The Dodgersand Yankeesare the teams everyone expects to circle whenever an elite arm appears near the trade market, but Tarik Skubal’s situation may not belong only to baseball’s loudest powers.
If the Detroit Tigers decide to make their ace available before the August 3 trade deadline, the bidding could quickly stretch beyond Los Angeles and New York.
The latest speculation has pulled the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers into the conversation, giving a potential Skubal sweepstakes a very different shape. Skubal has not been placed on the trade block, and Detroit’s recent form could still push the Tigers away from selling.
But their uneven season has created enough uncertainty for contenders to start imagining what the reigning Cy Young winner might look like at the front of a playoff rotation. That’s where Atlanta becomes especially interesting.
“It doesn’t look like quite as attractive as it did,” Ken Rosenthal said on Foul Territory, assessing the Braves’ rotation outlook. “So, why wouldn’t the Braves be involved?”
Atlanta has a reason to think big
The Braves remain one of the strongest teams in baseball, but their pitching picture is not as clean as it looked earlier in the season.
Injuries to Spencer Strider and Spencer Schwellenbach have added pressure, and Atlanta’s recent wobble has only made the need for another trusted starter more obvious.
General manager Alex Anthopoulos has shown before that he is willing to move aggressively when he believes his team has a championship window.
His 2021 outfield overhaul helped change the Braves’ season after Ronald Acuna Jr. went down, and Buster Olney believes that history matters now.
“And look, you know, Alex Anthopoulos’ trade history is that when he feels like he has a team that has a chance to win, he’ll make aggressive moves,” Olney said on 680 The Fan.
Skubal wouldn’t come cheaply. Detroit would likely ask for premium prospects, and the Braves would have to decide how far they are willing to go for a pitcher who can become a free agent after the 2026 season.
Brewers could be real wildcard
Milwaukee may be an even more intriguing fit. The Brewers have played like a legitimate contender, and their farm system gives them the kind of prospect capital that could keep them in a serious conversation with Detroit.
MLB insider Robert Murray identified Milwaukee as a realistic landing spot while discussing the market with fans.
“The Brewers and Rays, to me, seem like real options for Skubal,” Murray wrote. “Adding Skubal to a rotation with Misiorowski and Harrison… that’s really, really nasty.”
He went further, adding: “I genuinely believe that if the Brewers traded for Skubal that they’d be the favorite to win the World Series.”
Skubal, meanwhile, has made clear he would rather help Detroit avoid that decision altogether.
“The reality of the situation is, we need to play better baseball,” Skubal told The Detroit News. “My belief in this group has never changed.”
That may be Detroit’s final answer. But if the Tigers slide, the Dodgers and Yankees won’t be alone at the table.
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