A Dodgers-Tigers trade for Tarik Skubal that gets Detroit off Javy Baez's contract

The rumors have begun to swirl that the Detroit Tigers are getting incredible amounts of attention on their ace, Tarik Skubal, before the trade deadline. Before, I would laugh at these trade attempts. Skubal has team control for multiple more years and he's been the best pitcher in the league this year. He's an ace, they won't deal him for anything that another team is willing to give up.

That was until the idea of throwing Javy Baez's expensive contract into the deal was brought up. It would be addition by subtraction for the Tigers. They get better as an organization as they ship Baez off someplace else so that another team can pay his incredibly expensive contract.

Taking on Baez's contract would certainly lessen the prospect load that it would take to acquire Skubal. The Los Angeles Dodgers, one of the teams interested in acquiring the Tigers' ace, have the guts and money to eat that contract in order to add an ace.

(For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders, and join the discord to get the inside scoop as we near the July 30 MLB trade deadline.)

A blockbuster Dodgers-Tigers trade that may actually work for both sides

This is purely hypothetical. Nothing like this has made its way into the front offices of either side, to my knowledge. They have likely flirted with the idea, but to trade for a piece like Skubal, everything needs to go perfect for the Dodgers to get it done. This is my definition of the perfect trade that would likely move the needle for Detroit.

The Dodgers likely wouldn't want to eat the entirety of Baez's contract. It's nearly $100 million. But, thanks to Ohtani deferring $680 million of his contract down the road, Los Angeles can afford to eat, let's say 80 percent of the contract in this deal. Now, onto the prospect capital in the deal.

Rushing, baseball's No. 48 prospect, is slashing .258/.370/.445 at the Double-A level this year. He will likely be ready to stick in the big leagues by the middle of next season thanks to his incredible ability with the bat. He is a real power threat that doesn't get cheated at the plate.

De Paula, baseball's No. 63 prospect, is slashing .267/.395/.422 across two levels of the minor leagues this year. His offensive potential is even higher than Rushing's, especially given the fact that he's 6 foot 3 and still a teenager.

Knack, 26, is hardly a prospect at this point. He's made eight starts for the Dodgers this season and holds a 3.15 ERA across 40 innings. In this deal, he is interchangeable with a name like River Ryan. Either guy could slot in this spot, whichever the Dodgers prefer to move.

Kopp, a reliever, has made 20 appearances at the Double-A level this year. He's struggled a bit with command, walking more than a batter an inning, but his stuff is so electric that all he needs to do is be in the zone to dominate.

This trade is a long shot, but there is a real possibility that the Dodgers could make something happen if they add in Javy Baez's contract. They've shown a willingness to do this such thing in the past. Let's see if they want to try to acquire Tarik Skubal that way.