A Tarik Skubal trade would give Mariners one key thing

ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan brought a surprising idea to Seattle Mariners fans on Thursday.

The Mariners’ top AL West competition is changing

Passan wrote that the best trade fit for a Mariners team that is currently trying to navigate having six MLB-quality starting pitchers in an environment where a five-man rotation is the norm is another starting pitcher.

Not just any starting pitcher, though. Specifically Tarik Skubal, who as the two-time reigning American League Cy Young Award winner is essentially the best pitcher in the game right now.

How would this make sense?

At the moment, the Mariners have Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryan Woo and Luis Castillo – who have each made at least one All-Star team – plus Bryce Miller, who has pitched at an All-Star level at times in his career.

But there’s something Skubal is that no Mariners pitcher is.

Tarik Skubal is Mariners’ top trade fit, ESPN’s Passan says

“The one thing you would say about the Mariners’ rotation is that it does not have that clear-cut ace who can win you two games in a five-game series,” Mike Salk said Thursday during Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.

That’s the basis of the argument for going all-out to bring Skubal back to the Emerald City, where he was a college star for the Seattle U Redhawks. But there are even more reasons not to take that big of a swing.

As Salk and his co-host Brock Huard discussed, Skubal would be a rental as he’s set to be a free agent at the end of the season. He’s going to command perhaps the biggest contract for a pitcher in MLB history this offseason, and the fact that his agent is Scott Boras likely rules out the possibility of inking him to an extension before he hits the open market.

And then there’s the issue of cost in a trade with the Detroit Tigers to get just a few guaranteed months of Skubal’s services.

The Mariners were far from the only team Passan said Skubal is the best fit for before the Aug. 3 trade deadline – it was a bit of a comical theme to his article – so a number of contenders could be looking to get the superstar left-hander for the stretch run and postseason.

“This is Tarik Skubal we’re talking about. … You want to go win a World Series or not? If I’m the Tigers, I’m going to hold you hostage,” Salk said.

Passan suggested in his piece that a Mariners trade for Skubal could cost them one of their current six MLB starting pitchers, which Brock and Salk both seemed open to in some cases. But they draw the line at making their two farmhands considered perhaps the two best pitching prospects in the game, right-hander Ryan Sloan and left-hander Kade Anderson, part of any deal.

“I really don’t think I’m giving up seven years for two months. I really don’t,” Huard said, referring to how much club control the Mariners have of Sloan and Anderson in the big leagues.

Salk wonders if some hitting prospects combined with an MLB pitcher could get it done, though.

“For the record, I agree with you,” Salk said to Huard. “I’m probably not giving up either of those two guys (Sloan and Anderson) in order to Skubal. Does Bryce Miller and Michael Arroyo and Las Montez get it done?”

Hear the full discussion at this link or in the player below. Catch Brock and Salk live from 6-10 a.m. weekdays on Seattle Sports.

Seattle Mariners news and more

• Mariners slugger Cal Raleigh set for rehab assignment
• Mariners have three prospects in Baseball America’s new top 10
• Why Seattle Mariners will have a big advantage at the trade deadline

Related

Mariners drop opener of big series vs Rangers 5-4Lineups: No J.P. for Mariners as big series in Texas startsJake Peavy: Mariners, Padres GMs have had conversationsWhat’s at stake in Mariners’ series vs AL West-leading RangersPassan: Cole Young ‘absolutely a gift’ for MarinersWhy Salk says Mariners should trade for elite closer Mason Miller