Tigers Tarik Skubal trade could also finally end Javy Baez nightmare

The Detroit Tigers have been on the cusp of contention all season long, largely in part to their pitching staff led by their ace, Tarik Skubal. Over the last few weeks though, they have fallen out of the race and now they're in prime position to sell on some of their expiring contracts. Players like Jack Flaherty are certain to be dealt.

Obviously, teams are going to call and ask about the availability on their ace, Skubal, who's probably been the best pitcher in baseball for the better part of the year. And for the most part, the answer should be an immediate, "no thank you" from the Tigers' front office.

That was until rumors emerged that the Dodgers and Orioles, among others, were working to put together some insanely large prospect hauls to try to acquire Skubal. Still, with Skubal having multiple more years of team control on his contract, it doesn't make the most sense unless the Tigers are getting back an almost unprecedented haul of prospects and MLB ready youngsters.

There's also another wrinkle in the situation that could peak the interest of the Tigers front office.

Javy Baez's $70+ million remaining on his contract.

Tarik Skubal trade can be managed if buying team takes Javy Baez's contract

There is nothing worse in sports than signing a superstar player to a huge six-year, $140 million contract only to watch him sputter out. That's exactly what has happened with Baez on the Tigers. Tigers fans and the front office would do anything to end this nightmare of a matchup between the two parties, clearing his salary from their books and clearing him from their minds.

They may even be willing to trade their ace to get Baez off their minds.

Obviously, a trade for Skubal would be incredibly hard to put together. Packages have been rumored to surround the top prospects in the game, and still, they might not be large enough. But if a team is willing to eat Baez's contract, which is a huge ask considering it's over $70 million, they could lower the price on Skubal by quite a bit.

Suddenly, the idea of the Dodgers landing Skubal doesn't seem completely out of the picture. They're one of the teams in the league that spends enough money to warrant paying Baez $70 million just to cut him at the time of a trade. Baltimore and other teams may be willing to eat a chunk of the contract, potentially over half of it, but the Dodgers may be the only team in baseball willing to take on the entire thing.

Negotiations haven't been detailed at this point. We have no idea if this is a real idea being pitched between front offices, but one would only imagine that the Tigers would like to end the Baez nightmare sooner rather than later.