A Braves-Tigers trade for Atlanta to literally own the AL Cy Young frontrunner

The Atlanta Braves faced Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal earlier this week, and it did not go well for the left-hander. Skubal lasted just four innings and allowed seven hits and five runs (four earned), raising his ERA to 2.50. Detroit's been mired in a skid of late, and it's led some Tigers fans to wonder if a sell-off is on the horizon.

“Today wasn’t a good day for me,” Skubal said after the loss. “I think it’s more execution than it is what they’re sitting on. They can sit on a pitch, and if I still execute it, it’s hard to hit.”

Skubal got an up-close-and-person view of one of the best lineups in baseball (when they are on). It might be preferable for Skubal if he could join Atlanta rather than facing the Braves instead.

Scott Harris inherited Al Avila's team just under two years ago. Since then, he's made moves around the margins and openly acknowledged Detroit's lineup wasn't close to good enough before the start of the regular season. Trading Skubal for prospects would allow Harris to put his first stamp on this Detroit organization, for better or worse.

How the Atlanta Braves could trade for Tigers ace Tarik Skubal

Is a trade for Skubal likely as of this writing? No, there are few indications Detroit would be willing to make such a move just yet. They remain in the AL Wild Card race, despite a 1-5 road trip heading into a home series against the lowly White Sox. That's an easy way to get back on track. Still, Tigers insider Cody Stavenhagen made it sound as though the Tigers might be more open to such a move than they were this winter.

"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."

Right now, the Tigers don't have enough, but the farm system features some promising young pitching prospects like Jackson Jobe. Pushing back their competitve timeline even further would be tough. It also might be Detroit's only real option. Here's what a trade might look like.

For Skubal, the Tigers would search for a Juan Soto-like package. Given Skubal has multiple years left on his deal, he would receive this sort of return on the trade market, even if Braves fans are shocked.

Smith-Shawver is Atlanta's top prospect and top-100 overall per MLB Pipeline. Alvarez has made waves this season in the minors and is arguably the best hitting prospect in the Braves organization. Some fans want him in Atlanta sooner rather than later, starting over the struggling Ozzie Albies. Baldwin could start shortly in Detroit, which lacks a real answer at catcher, while Dodd fills Skubal's rotation spot immediately. That's four top-15 propsects from the Braves system.

Again, trading for a player of Skubal's caliber in his prime is bound to be expensive. This trade is just my best guess, but the Tigers might not even be interested at this juncture.