Brewers risk handing Tarik Skubal to Dodgers if they won’t make this trade

It feels like a matter of when and to where, not if, Tarik Skubal is traded by Monday's MLB trade deadline, as the Detroit Tigers fall further out of postseason contention. The Los Angeles Dodgers have long been considered favorites to land Skubal in their pursuit of a three-peat, and the latest update from Jim Bowden of The Athletic suggests that the Milwaukee Brewers, a team with a very realistic shot at landing the back-to-back Cy Young winner, are unwilling to part with top prospect Jesus Made in a deal.

This makes sense. As Bowden notes, Skubal is only a rental, and one that the Brewers certainly would not be able to re-sign — so trading Made, perhaps the top prospect in all of baseball, for just a few months of his services feels a bit outrageous. With that being said, for the Brewers to win a Skubal bidding war against the Dodgers, a team they're likely to run into in the postseason, they must be willing to get aggressive. This mock proposal would have them doing just that.

This Brewers-Tigers trade could keep Tarik Skubal from joining the Dodgers

Assuming the Brewers have no desire to part with Made or fellow top prospect Luis Pena, they're going to need to dig deep and part with multiple prospects they won't want to. This mock proposal has three high-end prospects headed to Detroit.

Logan Henderson is a pitcher who'd immediately be plugged into Skubal's spot in Detroit's rotation, while Fischer and Payne are two exciting prospects that the Tigers can dream on. Both fan bases are bound to hate this proposal, but there's reason to believe it makes sense for both sides.

Would the Brewers accept this trade?

This is not a deal the Brewers would usually consider. If anything, they usually find themselves in a position to trade a high-end player approaching free agency for prospects. If they're serious about winning it all this year, though, they ought to think long and hard about this.

First of all, the Brewers need more starting pitching help. Jacob Misiorowski is awesome, but Brandon Woodruff is out, and while Kyle Harrison is nearing a return from the IL, it's not like he has the track record as a No. 2 starter. Acquiring Skubal, perhaps the best pitcher not named Misiorowski on the planet, would make Milwaukee so tough to face in a postseason series. Can you imagine needing to go through that dynamic duo four or five times in a best-of-seven set?

Would the Brewers be parting with a lot? Absolutely. Henderson has excelled whenever he's been called upon, and both Fischer and Payne have immense upside. You need to give to get, though, and opportunities to acquire a player as good as Skubal don't come about very often. Not only would they be making themselves that much better, but they'd also be ensuring that Skubal does not join the Dodgers.

I have my doubts regarding whether the Brewers would do this given their organizational history. It's so hard to envision them trading a haul for a rental. But doing so would put them in clear contention while ensuring the Dodgers cannot land the prize of the summer. Being able to check both boxes while holding onto Made and Pena should make this an easy deal for Milwaukee to make.

Verdict: Probably not, but they should

Would the Tigers accept this trade?

The Tigers probably don't want to trade Skubal to the Dodgers, but at the end of the day, their responsibility is to get the best offer possible for a player who won't be back in 2027 anyway. If the Brewers are unwilling to include Made or Pena in an offer and the Dodgers are willing to trade a prospect like Josue De Paula, there isn't much Milwaukee can do. If L.A. is not willing to trade De Paula, though, this offer could persuade the Tigers.

Henderson is a starting pitcher Detroit can plug into their rotation right now and expect good things from. He probably isn't the 2.66 ERA guy that he's been in his nine starts with the Brewers this season, but undoubtedly he's a viable mid-rotation arm who throws a ton of strikes and would come with a ton of club control.

The position player prospects are very intriguing as well. Andrew Fischer has had a monster year split between High-A and Double-A, hitting 33 home runs with an OPS over 1.000. There are hit tool concerns, as he's struck out 133 times in 87 games, but the power is as legit as any prospect in the league right now. Braylon Payne is another prospect who needs to cut down on the strikeouts, but he has 20 home runs and 22 stolen bases to go along with a .977 OPS at High-A. These players would be ranked at or near the top of many systems in the league.

There's a lot to like about all three, and getting them for just a couple of months of Skubal sounds quite good. Again, there are ways for the Dodgers to beat this offer, but depending on how aggressive they are, this mock Brewers proposal might just get the deal done.

Verdict: Yes, unless the Dodgers blow them away

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