A Cardinals-Tigers trade that would fix rotation for good and save John Mozeliak

There's a lot to unpack with this hypothetical trade that I'm about to pose, so please stick with me on this.

Tarik Skubal is one of the most dominant arms in the game right now and the Tigers have shown no indication of trading him. But Detroit has also slid down the standings recently and it may make sense to trade him at his highest value (right now) if they don't think they can field a competitive team behind him in the next two years. This deal is in that case, if they lose hope for the next few seasons.

On the other end, the St. Louis Cardinals would need to go completely in to get Skubal. They have floated between being competitive and being out of the playoff picture this season. They will need to be all in if they want to make this move.

So, let's say the Cardinals go all in and the Tigers are okay with dealing Skubal. How does it get done?

A Cardinals-Tigers trade to bring St. Louis the best pitcher in the American League

The Cardinals would need to deal a few of their best prospects if they want to acquire Skubal. Skubal is just that good. He's also under contract for the next 2.5 seasons, making him much more valuable than a rental.

Let's start with the massive return the Tigers would be receiving.

Dylan Carlson has struggled tremendously for the Cardinals this year, slashing an abysmal .183/.266/.207 on the season. St. Louis has multiple outfield prospects in the minor leagues that should be able to play at the big-league level soon (talking to you Jordan Walker and Victor Scott II). Carlson needs a fresh start and the Cardinals could add him in a blockbuster deal like this.

Tink Hence is where the deal gets incredibly interesting. Per MLB Pipeline, Hence is a top-50 prospect in baseball and he's certainly played like it this year. He holds an ERA just north of 3.00 is Double-A this year. He features four plus pitches and great command, making him a true high floor, high ceiling prospect.

Graceffo, St. Louis' eighth-ranked prospect, doesn't have quite the same ceiling as Hence, but he does have a tremendous amount of talent. He seems to be big league ready and could crack the Tigers rotation this season or next, if this hypothetical trade was to be done.

Andre Granillo is a reliever, which lowers his value as a prospect, but he's been incredible in that role. This raises his value to a big-league team. He holds an ERA near 1.00 and has only allowed 12 hits in 30 innings this season. If he can consistently stay in the zone, he could make a big league bullpen this season, quite easily.

The Cardinals would be getting a left-handed ace in his prime, who is under control for 2.5 more seasons. This package of players to acquire Skubal is quite a massive one, but the Tigers would likely laugh at anything less.