The name Tarik Skubal keeps popping up as the trade deadline gets closer, and the Tigers lefty is probably the best pitcher who might actually move. Detroit hasn’t completely given up on the season, but they’re not exactly scaring anyone either. So naturally, every contender with a deep farm system is at least kicking the tires.
One name that keeps surfacing in the Skubal conversation? The Phillies. And Jon Heyman thinks that’s more than just wishful thinking from a fan base that’s desperate to keep up with the Dodgers.
Heyman threw it out there on X (the thing formerly known as Twitter) that Philly could absolutely be a player here. He pointed out that the Phillies are aggressive shoppers — they’ve proven that — and that adding a third elite left-handed starter to go with Cristopher Sanchez and Jesus Luzardo would give them a real shot against Los Angeles. His exact words: “Phillies could be a Skubal player.”
Now, the weird part of Heyman’s original post was calling them the “Los Angeles Yankees” which is either a typo or a very creative way to describe the Dodgers. Either way, the point landed.
Why a third lefty matters against the Dodgers
If you’ve watched the Dodgers over the last few years, you know they mash right-handed pitching. Their lineup is built for it. So loading up on left-handers in a short series — especially a potential NLCS — is a strategy that makes some sense. Sanchez has been solid, Luzardo has ace stuff when healthy, and Skubal is having a monster season. That trio would force L.A. to adjust their platoon advantages in a hurry.
Heyman doubled down on MLB Network, saying any team that considers itself a contender with money to spend should be in on Skubal. He specifically mentioned the Phillies again, noting that they’ve been looking for help in different areas but starting pitching keeps coming up in their internal conversations.
“I’m going to throw the Phillies in there,” Heyman said on air. “We’ve heard their name a little bit. But obviously they’ve been looking for a number of different things. We know they have talked about starting pitching more on the back end. But I wouldn’t be shocked. To beat the Dodgers, you got to have left-handers. They got Sanchez and Luzardo. You add Skubal to that, that’s a pretty good trio of left-handers.”
The Tigers have been listening to offers for Skubal for weeks now. They’re not in a rush — he’s under team control for a while — but if someone blows them away with a package built around top prospects, they’ll take it. Detroit’s rebuild has been frustratingly slow, and moving Skubal might accelerate things.
For Philly, the question is whether they’re willing to empty out their farm system for a rental with a big price tag. They already have Wheeler, Nola, and those two lefties. Adding Skubal would be a luxury, not a necessity. But the Phillies front office has shown they’re not afraid to make the big swing.
The trade deadline is August 3. The rumor mill is only going to get louder from here.
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