Did Tigers get fleeced in Tarik Skubal trade? Comparing Detroit haul to past deadline deals for CC Sabathia, others

Tarik Skubal was the best player on the market at this trade deadline, and the Dodgers got him for a deal that seemed less than impressive to many.

Even though Skubal is a two-time Cy Young winner, his status as an impending free agent limited what the Tigers could get for him in a deal. As history shows, though, rental status limits the value of a player since the acquiring team only gets a few months of his services.

Skubal is not the first rental ace to be traded, but those deals do not happen that often in the majors. Since 2008, only a handful of rental aces have been traded, with the return packages being a mixed bag of prospects and professionals.

Here's how the Skubal trade package compares to other similar deals.

MORE: Full details of Dodgers' trade for Tarik Skubal

Tarik Skubal trade details

Dodgers get:

• SP Tarik Skubal

Tigers get:

• OF Zyhir Hope
• SP River Ryan
• SP Brady Smith

The Dodgers landed Skubal for a package that included two top prospects in Hope and Ryan. Hope becomes arguably the best prospect moved for a rental in recent memory, as most teams are not willing to give up a top-25 prospect for three months of a player.

MORE: Grading the Tarik Skubal trade 

Comparing Tarik Skubal trade to past deals

When looking back on similar deals in years past, the Tigers landing Hope is one of the better returns for a rental starter. Here's a look at a few similar deals in the last 20 years.

2008: Brewers acquire CC Sabathia

Brewers get:

• SP CC Sabathia

Indians get:

• SP Zach Jackson
• IF Matt LaPorta
• RB Rob Bryson
• OF Michael Brantley

The most famous rental trade in recent memory, the Brewers got a dominant three months of Sabathia from the Indians knowing they wouldn't re-sign him. Cleveland coveted LaPorta, who was a top first-base prospect at the time, and Jackson, but neither player amounted to much. The deal was saved, though, by Brantley, who became the best player in the return despite being the player to be named later.

2010: Rangers acquire Cliff Lee

Rangers get:

• SP Cliff Lee
• RP Mark Lowe

Mariners get:

• IF Justin Smoak
• SP Blake Beavan
• RP Josh Lueke
• IF Matthew Lawson

Lee was traded three times in a 12-month span from 2009 to 2010, first going from Cleveland to Philadelphia, then Philadelphia to Seattle. With the Mariners out of contention, Seattle sent him and reliever Mark Lowe to the Rangers for a package that underwhelmed. Justin Smoak was the headliner and a solid player for the next few years across the majors, but that was really it.

2014: Athletics acquire Jon Lester

Athletics get:

• SP Jon Lester
• OF Jonny Gomes

Red Sox get:

• OF Yoenis Cespedes
• 2015 competitive balance round B pick

This deal is one of the more obscure ones on the list. With the Red Sox going nowhere in 2014, they sent fan-favorite Jon Lester and Jonny Gomes to the Athletics for star outfielder Yoenis Cespedes in a rare kind of trade. Cespedes didn't do much in Boston, as the Red Sox flipped him to the Tigers for Rick Porcello in the offseason.

2015: Blue Jays acquire David Price

Blue Jays get:

• SP David Price

Tigers get:

• SP Daniel Norris
• SP Matthew Boyd
• SP Jairo Labourt

Similar to Lee, Price was traded in back-to-back trade deadlines in 2014 and 2015. The second time, when he was an impending free agent, Price went from the Tigers to the Blue Jays for three starters, with Norris and Boyd both being top prospects. Norris had a decade-long MLB career for five different teams, while Boyd has carved out a nice career for himself after leaving Detroit.

2017: Dodgers acquire Yu Darvish

Dodgers get:

• SP Yu Darvish

Rangers get:

• IF Willie Calhoun
• IF Brendon Davis
• SP A.J. Alexy

No trade aged worse on this list than the Rangers dealing away Yu Darvish. Texas was falling out of contention, so it sent Darvish to the Dodgers for a package headlined by infielder Willie Calhoun. However, Calhoun has been a journeyman and none of the three players in the return made any kind of difference for Texas.

2021: Dodgers acquire Max Scherzer

Dodgers get:

• SP Max Scherzer
• IF Trea Turner

Nationals get:

• C Keibert Ruiz
• SP Josiah Gray
• OF Donovan Casey
• SP Gerardo Carrillo

The Nationals return from the Dodgers for Scherzer was buoyed by them also trading star infielder Trea Turner, who had 1.5 years left on his contract. Both Ruiz and Gray were top-tier prospects, but Ruiz hasn't developed as expected while Gray has dealt with injuries despite a strong start to his career.