This post was originally published on this site.
The Detroit Tigers entered the winter meetings in Orlando this week knowing they would be one of the main stories with regards to the possibility of trading their generational ace Tarik Skubal.
With the left-hander just a year away from free agency and extension talks going nowhere, it makes sense why they would at least consider it. After an offseason of rumors though, the winter meetings is where they would likely make a final call as teams present their best offers.
As Detroit has refused to comment on it over and over again, it seems like there could be something brewing in the background according to at least one source.
KTLA TV sports anchor David Pingalore — who is at the winter meetings in Orlando — lit the internet ablaze on Tuesday night when he posted on his X account that a deal between the Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers for Skubal is “essentially in place” and only a few hiccups away from getting across the finish line.
What Exactly Did Trade Report Say?
“I’m hearing the Skubal deal is essentially in place — the pieces are agreed to, the framework is done,” Pingalore wrote. “What’s holding it up now is the long-term extension and ownership approval in Detroit. The [Tigers] won’t green-light it without the owner’s sign-off, and the [Dodgers] won’t ship out that kind of haul without a long-term commitment from Skubal. That’s the final hurdle.
Pingalore is hardly the first to speculate that the Dodgers would be the ones to make a deal for Skubal and they have been one of the main contenders throughout the saga. A mocked proposal this week even saw Detroit send the repeat American League Cy Young to the defending champions for a huge return.
Though Pingalore might not be the most known breaker of news in baseball, for what it’s worth, he is followed on X by the Boras Corporation, meaning the sourcing very well could be completely legitimate.
What Would Tigers Return Be in Skubal Trade to Dodgers?
In the proposal this week from Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required), Detroit landed oft-injured Los Angeles ace Tyler Glasnow along with potential future ace Emmet Sheehan and their No. 2 prospect in outfielder Zyhir Hope.
Whether this is the framework of a potential deal being made between the two sides this week remains to be seen, although this does seem like a very solid starting point. It’s possible that the Tigers are rightfully demanding even more than this, and if the Dodgers are determined to land the southpaw, perhaps they could add more prospect capital from their highly-rated farm system.
Detroit fans being happy or not is an entirely different tale, but if the front office really does feel like they are not keeping Skubal beyond this season — which appears to be the case — getting a massive haul for him now could make the most sense.
Though it would be nauseating to see him out West playing for baseball’s biggest villain, the Tigers must send him to the highest bidder if they are going to send him away. Like it or not, nobody is going to bid higher than Los Angeles.
Nothing is set in stone here, but this seems like a story worth monitoring over the next 24 hours.