Tarik Skubal to the Braves? One MLB Insider Says Atlanta Is the Clear Frontrunner

The Atlanta Braves are dealing with something they didn’t expect this time last year: an actual race in the NL East. After a home loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, they’re sitting at 49-34, and that lead over the Phillies has shrunk to just 2.5 games. The culprit? Starting pitching, which has been shaky for weeks.

So the pressure is on general manager Alex Anthopoulos to do something before the trade deadline. And according to longtime MLB insider Bob Nightengale, the Braves are the team to watch if you’re tracking Detroit Tigers star Tarik Skubal.

Nightengale wrote this week that rival executives see Atlanta as the favorite to land Skubal, though he expects the deal to drag right up to the wire. “This decision likely will go down to the final days, if not hours, before the deadline,” he predicted.

Why Skubal Makes Sense for Atlanta

The left-hander has been dominant this season, and any questions about his recovery from elbow surgery have basically been answered. In his last start against the New York Yankees, Skubal struck out nine over six innings, allowed just one earned run and one hit, and hit 99 mph on the radar gun. That’s the kind of stuff that makes a contender pay up.

There was some concern earlier this year about how Skubal’s injury history might affect his trade value. But if teams are watching him mow down lineups like that, those worries are fading fast. The Tigers, who are in a full rebuild, are almost certainly going to move him. The question is who blinks first with the best offer.

For Atlanta, this is about more than just adding an arm. They’ve seen their magical 2023 season start to fade in the rearview. The bullpen has been a problem. The rotation has been inconsistent behind Max Fried and Spencer Strider. Adding a top-tier starter like Skubal would send a message — and it might be the difference between another October run or an early exit.

The Cost of Doing Business

It won’t be cheap. The Braves would likely have to part with some significant prospects to get a deal done. Detroit will ask for young talent, probably multiple pieces, and Atlanta’s farm system isn’t as deep as some other contenders’. But when your window is open and you’re trying to win now, that’s the kind of move you make.

The Braves will face the Cardinals again Wednesday night. They’ll do it with their current rotation, but it’s pretty clear the front office is already thinking about what comes next.