Orioles could have traded for Tigers ace Tarik Skubal with their last 2 roster moves

It may be untrodden territory for many in the Baltimore Orioles organization, but you cannot be monkeying around in the crucial stages of a season like this. Baltimore enters play on Friday night tied with the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East at 65-45. They are within striking distance of the Cleveland Guardians for the best record in the Junior Circuit. Now is the time to go for gold, O's!

While I don't claim to know everything about everything American League these days, I know an opportunity when I see one. The time has come and gone for anyone to deal for Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal. He has four plus pitches and has taken the American League by storm. Yes, the Tigers are maybe a year away from being something special, but he could have been had for the right price.

And while I am not one to really care all that much about prospects either, I think the Orioles had plenty of ammo down in the minors to strike a deal with Detroit if they wanted to. For example, their two most recent call-ups in the polarizing Jackson Holliday, as well as Coby Mayo, who was recalled Thursday night, may have been enough to tickle Detroit's fancies. Y'all have a pennant to win, right?

We are talking about two of the 15 best prospects in baseball, and Baltimore has three of them...

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, and join the discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason.

Baltimore Orioles had pieces to deal for Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal

If the Orioles, or anyone for that matter, traded for Skubal, they would have had 2.5 years worth of control at a bargain basement price. He is eligible for arbitration next winter and the year after that, but is only making $2.65 million this season. With the type of year he is having, he would have made any team's playoff rotation all the more menacing. Baltimore hasn't been to a World Series in 40 years.

No matter how you slice it, you cannot really undo what has happened in the past. While there have been Orioles teams that I can recall that have been this good (1996 and 2014 come to mind), it has been a painfully long time since 1983. This was back when Cal Ripken Jr. was a first-time AL All-Star, winning his first AL MVP in the year after his AL Rookie of the Year campaign. He was only 22 then...

What I keep going back to is a missed opportunity. Detroit did move on from another excellent pitcher in Jack Flaherty, but he is playing on an expiring contract. Even if the Tigers don't make the leap next year, there is a chance that Skubal is not expendable for the right price. So instead of obsessing about the future, live a little, and enjoy the present right now. Fact: Championship parades are so cool!

Holliday and Mayo may become stars in this league eventually, but what all has Baltimore won of late?