Tarik Skubal Heads to Baltimore Orioles in Proposed Blockbuster

The Baltimore Orioles came into this week's trade deadline looking for a major boost to their starting rotation. How about an upcoming Cy Young winner?

The Orioles are in talks with the Detroit Tigers and are obviously trying their best to land Tarik Skubal, who is the overwhelming favorite to win the AL Cy Young this season.

MLB Network's Joel Sherman has proposed a blockbuster trade that would get Skubal to Maryland. But they'd have to give up baseball's top prospect to do it.

This is what @Joelsherman1 thinks the Orioles would have to give up to get Tarik Skubal and Jason Foley.

What do you think? pic.twitter.com/a9fNjcycAy
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) July 23, 2024

Sherman's proposal looks like this:

Orioles Receive:

Tarik Skubal, LHP
Jason Foley, RHP

Tigers Receive:

Jackson Holliday, 2B/SS (MLB No. 1 prospect)
Heston Kjerstad, OF (Orioles #4 prospect, in big leagues)

This would be a trade of major proportions. The last time a pitcher was traded in the middle of a Cy Young season was 1984, and the last time the game's No. 1 overall prospect was traded was...... Does anybody know?

Holliday, the son of seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday, is arguably the best pure hitting prospect in the game. In 220 minor league games, he has a .308 average and a .941 OPS. And he's only 20.

Kjerstad is no slouch either. Since his call-up to the Orioles last month, all he's done is hit .296 with a .906 OPS and an incredible OPS+ of 162.

The Orioles, sitting atop the American League at 60-39, if they were to land Skubal, would be able to roll out a playoff rotation of potentially two Cy Young winners (Skubal and Corbin Burnes) plus perhaps a future one, Grayson Rodriguez.

The Tigers are still undecided (and probably leaning against) on trading Skubal, who is 11-3 with a 2.34 ERA, a 0.92 WHIP and a 146:22 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 123 innings.

They do have another "ace" up their sleeve at this deadline in Jack Flaherty, who may be a solid backup plan for the Orioles or any other team in talks with the Tigers.