The Atlanta Braves are aggressively pursuing Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal. With the MLB trade deadline closing in, the Los Angeles Dodgers remain the heavy favorites to land the left-hander, but unconfirmed reports from league executives now label the Braves as a silent frontrunner. Detroit sits 12 games under .500 and is looking to maximize the return for their top asset.
According to a report on the Braves’ strategy from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, Atlanta is viewed as the sleeper team to pull off the transaction. The asking price is high. Detroit demands two top-10 organizational prospects, with at least one ranking in the national top-100. Atlanta’s urgency to meet these demands is directly tied to the health of Spencer Strider. The Braves ace recently suffered an elbow injury and was shut down from throwing for another three weeks, delaying his earliest possible return until late August.
To get Skubal away from Los Angeles and the Milwaukee Brewers, General Manager Alex Anthopoulos will have to dig deep into a thin farm system. Atlanta only boasts two top-100 prospects according to MLB Pipeline: 19-year-old lefty Cam Caminiti and 22-year-old righty J.R. Ritchie. A proposed theoretical trade package floating around league circles has the Braves sending Ritchie, rising prospect Briggs McKenzie, and 19-year-old shortstop Jose Perdomo to Detroit to capitalize on the Tigers falling 12 games under .500.
Anthopoulos historically prefers to acquire players with long-term contractual control. Bringing Skubal into a rotation that already features Chris Sale and Bryce Elder would immediately alter the balance of power in the National League as the Braves push for another World Series run.