Phillies Need Tarik Skubal to Answer One Question, If They Trade for Him
· Yahoo Sports
The All-Star Game and Major League Baseball Draft have shifted some of the attention away from the Philadelphia Phillies at the moment, though the organization now has to focus on what it will do at this year's deadline.
The Phillies, one of the better teams in Major League Baseball, have a real opportunity to make the right moves at this year's deadline. The only question the Phillies really have to answer is how much they want to spend on certain players, in terms of prospects they'd be willing to give up, and whether they want to add a rental or two.
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Among the top rental options, guys like Tarik Skubal and Freddy Peralta stand out. The Skubal situation is perhaps the more interesting of the bunch, as there's absolutely no debate that the left-hander is one of the top two starters in the game.
However, according to the latest, there's a sense that Skubal might not be readily available unless the Phillies truly believe they can sign him to an extension.
“The Tarik Skubal saga continues, with Skubal himself reportedly wanting to stay with the Detroit Tigers. However, the Tigers control his destiny, as Skubal has no trade protection in his contract. After the break, the Tigers have back-to-back series against the Los Angeles Angels and Chicago Cubs. How the team fares over that stretch will say a lot about the team’s direction.
“The Philadelphia Phillies have been mentioned as a potential suitor for Skubal. However, the Phillies trading for Skubal only makes sense if they think they can extend him. The price will be too steep to acquire him as a rental. Adding Skubal to a rotation that already has Zack Wheeler and Cristopher Sanchez would greatly increase the Phillies’ chances of going the distance in the postseason,” Caleb Kerney wrote.
I would hope Skubal would be willing to tell teams he's open to signing an extension by the deadline, or at least give them some indication, but I don't think that's going to be the case, unfortunately.
Ultimately, Skubal holds all the cards here, and the odds of him signing a deal before free agency are below zero at this point. Perhaps he could give teams a wink, but even then, I just don't see a scenario in which he's going to play his hand like that right now.