An Astros-Tigers trade that mirrors Justin Verlander swap from a half-decade ago

The Detroit Tigers have surprised the league this year by being much more competitive than anybody thought they could be. They've done this on the back of the AL Cy Young frontrunner, Tarik Skubal, who's having an incredible season.

But the Tigers have struggled recently, and it seems as though their "Cinderella Story" season is wasting away. Tigers insider Cody Stavenhagen acknowledged this and laid out the Tigers two paths towards success.

"I don’t want to be the guy pounding the table and saying the Tigers must trade the best thing they’ve produced in years...The Tigers have two possible paths forward. The first might be the hardest. They would have to get creative and either sign some hitting or make creative, risky, out-of-the-box moves to build a winner in the next two years, while Skubal is under team control. The second is to admit you just don’t have enough."

If they opt to sell on Skubal, who better to send him to than the Houston Astros?

An Astros-Tigers trade to pair two former Detroit aces together in Houston

As of Sunday, the Tigers haven't shown any indication of moving Skubal. But there's no doubt that the idea has entered their minds. They would be foolish to not, at the very least, field trade offers for their ace. They don't have to move him, but if they don't see themselves in playoff contention for the next few years and they get an offer they can't refuse, who knows what they decide on.

Here's how the Astros could put together a trade that blows Detroit away, forcing them to consider the blockbuster offer.

A trade for Skubal, who still has 2.5 more years on his contract, would be a massive, blockbuster deal. This deal with the Astros includes Houston's top prospect, Jacob Melton. It also includes Houston's third, eighth and 19th-ranked prospects, bringing the total to four top 20 prospects.

The package of prospects would at least cause the Tigers to stay on the phone for a little longer.

Melton, baseball's 71st-ranked prospect, is a legit five tool prospect that could impact the Tigers in the next year. Matthews may take a little longer to get to the big leagues, but he has all the tools to make a difference in the big leagues. Fleury has one of the most complete arsenals in the Astros system, making him a candidate to pitch in Detroit's rotation as early as next season. Barber sits in Double-A, where he's slashing .256/.305/.434 with 6 homers.

Skubal could completely turn the Astros season around. Houston needs a pitcher and there isn't a better ace that they could acquire than Skubal. If Detroit is fielding offers, which we still don't know if it's the case, Houston needs to empty the tank to acquire him.