MLB trade deadline rumors: biggest questions ahead
Bob Nightengale breaks down the biggest trade deadline questions as contenders and sellers weigh their next moves.
Tarik Skubal’s name continues to loom over the 2026 MLB trade deadline, even as questions remain about whether the Detroit Tigers have any real interest in moving their ace.
Skubal threw 6⅔ scoreless innings with six strikeouts during his start against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday, July 29. He left with the Tigers leading 7-0, but the Orioles rallied for a 10-9 extra-innings win. It was a gut-punch of a loss that caused some to believe it will be Skubal’s last start in a Tigers uniform.
With contenders across baseball searching for front-line pitching, Skubal – who has won the past two American League Cy Young Awards – obviously stands out as one of the most impactful players who could potentially become available. Detroit heads into Thursday with a 51-58 record, six games out of first place in the American League Central, and 4½ games out of the final wild-card position.
Follow along here for the latest reports, rumors and news surrounding Skubal’s trade market as the deadline approaches.
When is the MLB trade deadline?
Teams must have their trade details finalized and submitted to the league office by the deadline in order for any acquired players to be eligible for the playoffs. After that, players on 40-man rosters can’t be traded.
- When: Monday, Aug. 3
- Time: 6 p.m. ET
Will Tigers trade Tarik Skubal?
Just in case the Tigers needed further clarity on what to do with Tarik Skubal, his teammates determined his fate Wednesday in an excruciating loss that was a microcosm of their season.
The Tigers led 7-0 entering the seventh inning and blew it.
It not only resulted in a 10-9, 12-inning loss to the Baltimore Orioles, but left the Tigers no choice but to trade the two-time Cy Young Award winner.
It leaves the Tigers five days to find the best trade partner for Skubal before the Aug. 3 deadline.
It will be a painful move, but a necessary one, writes USA TODAY Sports’ Bob Nightengale.
Al Avila knows Tarik Skubal as well as anyone in baseball. As the Tigers GM, he selected the left-hander in the ninth round of the 2018 MLB draft. Now, the two-time reigning Cy Young Award winner is on the trade block and Avila, who was fired in 2022, says the Tigers can’t miss on this deal.
“You want impact at the major league level,” Avila said on MLB Network Radio and he argued against the idea of trading Skubal for a bunch of minor league prospects. “You want high impact.”
He said the return should be two to three high-level prospects for Skubal.
Jim Duquette didn’t hold back Wednesday. The former Mets GM and current MLB Network Radio host hammered the Detroit Tigers’ front office for how they have handled the Tarik Skubal situation. He said they should have moved faster and gotten ahead of this.
“I would have seriously considered trading him last year,” Duquette said on the Foul Territory podcast.
His bigger issue is how the Tigers are dragging this out. He pointed to Baltimore, Minnesota and Houston that teams that picked their direction early and announced it. Houston said “we’re buying,” but Detroit has hemmed and hawed. The players have spent the past few weeks wondering if their ace was going to be there on Aug. 4, and Duquette thinks that has contributed to their recent slide.
“I know when I was in this situation and I’d go in the clubhouse, all the players were focused on was where they were going to go or if there was any trade news,” Duquette said.
Before Tarik Skubal’s start against the Orioles on Wednesday, USA TODAY Sports’ Bob Nightengale said he believes there was at least an 80% chance of the Tigers trading Tarik Skubal before Monday’s deadline.
“I just think with the way they have played, being six games under .500, they have no choice,” Nightengale said Wednesday while appearing on “Foul Territory.” “I think they’ll try to thread the needle here and say, you know what, tell teams we’ll trade him but we need a starter back that can fit in the rotation right now and get some help for the future.”
Nightengale also named his top contender for Skubal’s services: “I still think the Dodgers are the No. 1 fit.”
Which teams are going to be in on adding Tarik Skubal to its rotation? According to USA TODAY Sports’ Jon Hoefling, don’t be surprised to see the usual suspects.
- Chicago Cubs
- Tampa Bay Rays
- Atlanta Braves
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- Milwaukee Brewers
While appearing on SportsCenter on Wednesday night, ESPN’s MLB insider Jeff Passan said he had no doubt about Tarik Skubal’s future.
“Yeah, Tarik Skubal is going to be traded,” Passan said. “The Tigers haven’t gone to teams that are interested in him and said as much at this point, but the expectation is that’s going to happen within the next day or two.
“And frankly everyone has been expecting it when you see how the Tigers have played recently, and certainly their game Wednesday was a perfect encapsulation of their season, they understood that they needed to go on a really big run in order to have Tarik Skubal stick around. And they didn’t do it.”
Passan went on to name the top contenders to land Skubal.
“Milwaukee Brewers, who have a tremendous farm system, and of course the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are the favorites at this point, and frankly have been since the possibility of Tarik Skubal getting traded first surfaced a couple months ago,” Passan said.
Considering the injuries that have impacted the Dodgers’ rotation this season, they could certainly benefit from bringing in the reigning two-time AL Cy Young Award winner.
Shohei Ohtani had a setback in his recovery from a left knee injury, delaying his scheduled bullpen session on July 25 in New York.
Tyler Glasnow (back injury) is expected to return some time in August from the 60-day IL. The 32-year-old pitcher was cleared to resume throwing off the mound in early July and was scheduled to face live hitters last week.
Blake Snell is also taking steps toward a return. The 33-year-old southpaw is expected to make his third minor league rehab start at Triple-A Oklahoma City on July 29. — James Williams
The Cubs have been at the center of all talks regarding starting pitching and, according to Patrick Mooney of The Athletic, that includes Tarik Skubal.
Chicago’s rotation, which currently ranks in the back half of the league in ERA, currently consists of Matthew Boyd, Javier Assad, Shota Imanaga, David Peterson and Colin Rea. The Cubs enter Thursday as the National League’s top wild card team with a 61-47 record, and they are six games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the Nl Central.
Skubal’s contract expires at the end of this season, which will make him one of the league’s most sought after free agents this winter. That is, unless he is traded and signs an extension with his new team.
Here is a full list of free agents for the 2026-27 offseason.
Skubal is eligible for free agency after the 2026 season and his looming contract situation is why the Tigers are considering a trade.
Skubal is pitching for the Tigers this year on a one-year, $32-million contract after he was awarded a record arbitration salary by a three-person panel in February 2026. He earned $10.15 million during the 2025 season when he won the AL Cy Young Award for the second year in a row. — Mark Giannotto
Skubal came away from Wednesday’s start with a 7-5 record and 2.79 ERA over 16 starts and 96⅔ innings during the 2026 MLB season. Skubal had a career-best ERA of 2.21 in 2025 when he finished with a 13-6 record. His ERA was 2.39 in 2024 when he had a career-best 18-4 record and won the first of his two consecutive AL Cy Young Awards. — Mark Giannotto