Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- With two months until the MLB trade deadline, several teams are positioning themselves as potential sellers.
- One standout pitcher has transformed his command and emerged as a top contender this season, surprising many in the industry.
- The market dynamics could shift dramatically as teams weigh immediate playoff chances against long-term roster building.
The MLB trade deadline isn’t for two months, but the internet chatter surrounding a potential Tarik Skubal trade has grown increasingly loud.
The Tigers are coming off a sweep against the Tampa Bay Rays, one of the best teams in baseball, and are now 25-38 and in fourth place in the American League Central. They remain far out of playoff contention. But if they string together a strong stretch, it’s possible that they can vault themselves back in the playoff picture. They’ll just need Skubal and others to get healthy, in addition to an offense that underperformed in May (81 runs in 28 games) to drastically improve. But we're not just talking Skubal here. My notes on the Detroit arm and others around the league:
Tarik Skubal
The Tarik Skubal trade chatter is going to dominate the rumor mill until the Aug. 3 deadline, and there is no shortage of teams that make sense.
The Los Angeles Dodgers. San Diego Padres. Philadelphia Phillies. Tampa Bay Rays. Milwaukee Brewers. Seemingly every contender hoping to get a postseason edge should inquire/engage with the Detroit Tigers about the star left-hander. If he proves he’s fully recovered from the innovative surgery to remove a loose body in his left elbow, the Tigers should get a strong return for Skubal, according to rival executives. And if they’re willing to eat some of the remainder of his $32 million salary, that will only bolster the return.
A reminder: if Skubal is traded, he would not be eligible for the qualifying offer as a free agent in the offseason.
Chicago White Sox
The thought of the Chicago White Sox buying at the trade deadline is increasingly realistic, and general manager Chris Getz confirmed as much on MLB Network by saying it’s a possibility.
Last week, Getz told The Athletic, “It’s never been about 2026. It isn’t. It’s still very big picture.” Now, he told reporters, “We are focused on 2026. I know I have stated that it’s not about 2026, but this team is playing really good baseball.”
If the White Sox are buyers, perhaps they can find ways to add both for this year and long-term by adding controllable players. They figure to be in the pitching market, both for rotation and bullpen, with an emphasis on starting pitching considering Erick Fedde’s struggles.
Still, Getz deserves tons of credit. He’s built the White Sox into an ascending young team. At the GM meetings this year, he told me that he was more optimistic about the return from the Garrett Crochet trade than he was at the time of the move. His signing of Munetaka Murakami to a two-year, $34 million contract has been a massive success. There is still plenty of work ahead for Getz, but the vision is obvious, and this feels like the first year of a sustained window of playoff contention for the franchise.
Luis Arraez
An under-the-radar name to monitor at the trade deadline is Luis Arraez.
He was signed to a one-year, $12 million contract by the San Francisco Giants and has been terrific offensively, hitting .323/.365/.434 with a .799 OPS. But what has stood out to the Giants, and other rival executives, is the steps he’s taken to improve defensively. Arraez, of course, deserves the credit, but so does Giants coach and noted defensive guru Ron Washington.
Arraez, 29, should be a popular name on the trade market along with starter Robbie Ray, among others. I still am skeptical that any of Rafael Devers, Matt Chapman or Willy Adames will be traded.
Shaping up to be a sellers market?
A rival executive pointed out to me this week how many teams remain in contention while a limited bunch are shaping up to be sellers.
The potential sellers—Astros, Red Sox, Tigers, Royals, Angels, Mets, Rockies and Giants—could take advantage of a limited market. The Astros have desirable trade chips in Christian Walker and Isaac Paredes, though a Yordan Alvarez trade is unimaginable. The Red Sox have pitching and could entice teams with Willson Contreras. The Tigers, of course, have Skubal. The Royals have Michael Wacha, Kris Bubic and others. The Mets are not close to committing to sell, but Freddy Peralta is a player teams across the league love.
There’s two months between now and the trade deadline. A lot can happen. But there might be some very enticing options available on August 3.
Jacob Misiorowski
In 2025, on Foul Territory, I said: “They’ve had Freddy Peralta, Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff. If everything goes right for Jacob Misiorowski, I could see him being better than all of those guys.”
But I couldn’t have envisioned this.
Misiorowski needed to improve his command. He was walking too many hitters, with the right-hander walking 60 batters in 97.1 innings between Double and Triple-A in 2024, and had many within the industry believing he was a reliever. Since then, Misiorowski has drastically improved his command and walked only 19 batters in 71 innings this season. He’s not only the best pitcher on the Brewers, he’s among the best pitchers in baseball.
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