Insiders are reporting that the Detroit Tigers are expected to trade Tarik Skubal in the coming days, and the Los Angeles Dodgers could be in the mix to land him.
Skubal may just be a rental, but he is a two-time Cy Young Award winner and will still require a haul to acquire. The Tigers could covet a prospect package or a package that nets them a controllable big-league pitcher and fewer prospects, if they want to remain competitive this year.
Regardless, it will take some talented players to land the superstar pitcher. The Dodgers have a great farm system, but are reportedly not interested in parting ways with these two prospects this year.
"Rival clubs will inquire about top-ranked prospects Josue De Paula and Eduardo Quintero, but the Dodgers would consider those nonstarters in negotiations," wrote The Athletic's Katie Woo and Fabian Ardaya on Friday.
De Paula is the Dodgers' top prospect, and the No. 4 prospect in baseball. Quintero is the Dodgers' No. 3 prospect and the No. 19 prospect in baseball. De Paula is in Double-A and Quintero is still in High-A.
"One name Los Angeles would be open to moving, according to multiple team sources, is 21-year-old Zyhir Hope, who is hitting .289 with 21 homers and an .879 OPS in Double A," wrote The Athletic. "Mike Sirota, a 23-year-old also in Double A, could also be a trade candidate, though less so than Hope."
Hope is the Dodgers' No. 5 prospect and is also a top 100 prospect. It's unclear what exactly the Tigers will want for Skubal. This is a pretty much unprecedented situation. However, the Dodgers have a very aggressive front office that will make a very competitive offer, even if they don't want to include De Paula and Quintero.