Phillies predicted to trade Jesus Luzardo, Andrew Painter for $400M Cy Young winner in blockbuster

The Detroit Tigers are an intriguing team to watch this offseason, as some potentially major moves could be coming. Tarik Skubal is entering the final year of his contract, and there’s a chance he might not even return to Detroit. Currently, the Tigers and Skubal are far apart on his next contract.

“The Tigers and superstar pitcher Tarik Skubal have a lot of work to do if they’re going to bridge quite possibly the biggest gap in MLB negotiating history: an estimated quarter of a billion dollars. Yep, that’s not a misprint. It’s close to $250 million,” New York Post’s Jon Heyman wrote.

If this ends up being the conclusion of Skubal’s tenure with Detroit, it didn’t even end on his terms. During the ALDS against the Seattle Mariners, AJ Hinch removed him from the game earlier than some expected.

“Easy decision," Hinch said about removing Skubal. "After the fifth, I checked in on him how he was doing physically and emotionally, and we both knew that he had one left. You know, he emptied his tank and obviously was emotional coming off the mound, and I think that signals exactly where we were in the game. He gave us everything he could."

If the sides do part ways, the Philadelphia Phillies could make a strong push.

“Potential offer: LHP Jesús Luzardo, RHP Andrew Painter, OF Justin Crawford. Dave Dombrowski hangs his hat on aggressive swings. He also pays his dudes in free agency, more often than not. That's not to say the Philadelphia Phillies will ultimately win the bidding war for Skubal's services, but the Phillies at least have a puncher's chance, especially with so much money coming off the books in 2026 and 2027,” FanSided’s Christopher Kline wrote.

The Phillies would be giving up two potential starters they could retain long-term. However, landing Skubal on an extension would be a game-changing move. Luzardo has been one of the Phillies’ most consistent starters, but the Tigers’ asking price is steep. If Philadelphia succeeds, their rotation would instantly become one of the most dangerous in baseball.

More MLB news: