MLB Rumour Roundup: Tigers ‘more likely than not’ to deal Skubal

It’s a question that will dominate conversations around baseball for the next two weeks, as the Aug. 3 trade deadline approaches and teams determine where they fit in a crowded post-season picture.

On one hand, the Tigers sit 6.5 games behind the American League Central-leading Chicago White Sox and 4.5 games out of the junior circuit’s final wild-card spot. But on the other, Detroit has slowly improved its play of late, winning 10 of its 14 games since July 1 and seeing its FanGraphs playoff odds increase to 32.3 per cent after beating the Chicago Cubs on Monday night.

So where does that leave Skubal? The reigning back-to-back AL Cy Young winner is set to hit free agency after the season, and has looked every part of an ace that contenders can rely on in October since returning from in-season elbow surgery on June 13.

In seven starts since rejoining the Tigers’ rotation, Skubal owns a 2.97 ERA and has struck out 53 batters in 39.1 innings.

It’s all part of what makes the 29-year-old southpaw a “dream deadline candidate,” per Passan and McDaniel, who gave Skubal a 60 per cent chance of being moved and said that, “Whoever lands Skubal will pay an enormous price. Happily.”

Skubal, of course, represents just one of many names that will be bandied about in the coming weeks as the rumour mill starts to churn. So, as trade season starts to take over the baseball world, here’s a look at some early speculation of how things could unfold before the deadline hits.

Joe Ryan expecting to stay in Minnesota

Joe Ryan has seen his name in trade talks for the better part of a calendar year, as the Minnesota Twins tore down around their ace last deadline and entered the 2026 season with lowered expectations.

But much like the Tigers, Minnesota has remained on the fringe of the AL playoff race, complicating what a Ryan trade might do to a young clubhouse that sits just three games out of a wild-card spot.

Ryan told Nightengale that Minnesota staying in the mix has helped him put any thoughts of a trade on the back burner and keep his focus on the field.

“We’ve just played good baseball, and it’s allowed me to really just hone in on the team and keeps you present,” he said. “It’s just given me peace.”

The case for a Ryan trade is fairly straightforward, as he is under contract through 2027 and has continued to perform as one of the top starters in the American League — even after surrendering eight runs and six homers to the Cleveland Guardians on Monday night.

Despite that rough outing, Ryan owns a 3.38 ERA with 131 strikeouts in 114.1 innings on the season and would surely bring back a haul in any deal for Minnesota.

But with Byron Buxton returning from the injured list on Monday, the 49-52 Twins will be fighting to prove ahead of Aug. 3 that they can make a push in the final two months of the season.

Could all-star catchers be on the move?

Finding stability behind the plate can often be one of the most difficult tasks for teams across baseball. And once clubs do find a productive backstop, they’re usually in no rush to move on.

But at this year’s deadline, we could see a group of star-level catchers among the most intriguing trade candidates.

Jeffers appears to be the most likely catcher to be traded by the deadline, as the Minnesota Twins catcher remains among the “most obvious targets” for the New York Yankees, per Rosenthal. The 29-year-old is a pending free agent, owns a .941 OPS in 42 games and could be replaced by Victor Caratini or Alex Jackson in the Twins lineup.

Rosenthal added that the all-star trio of Goodman, Langeliers and Rutschman “are less likely to move,” but each brings a compelling case to be dealt now.

Goodman, MLB’s home-run leader among catchers with 30, is set to hit arbitration for the first time this off-season and is in the midst of a career-best year. The Colorado Rockies, however, “would need to be overwhelmed” by any trade offer to consider a trade, a package that would need “multiple high-end prospects,” per Rosenthal.

If the Rockies didn’t get the type of return that they are seeking, they could revisit Goodman trade talks in the off-season.

Like Goodman, Langeliers continues to rake. In 90 games this season, he has 22 homers and an .820 OPS, but on an Athletics team that has already doled out extensions to a handful of its young hitters, the 28-year-old appears destined to hit free agency after the 2028 campaign.

So, why not sell high? With the A’s falling out of the playoff picture, it would make sense to canvass the league and see what kind of package teams might be willing to offer up for Langeliers. The Athletics don’t have much in the way of catching prospects to backfill that spot if they were to make a deal, though, and with hopes of contending by the time they make their planned move to Las Vegas, Langeliers could still be their best option when the 2028 season rolls around.

Thanks to their recent seven-game winning streak, the Baltimore Orioles’ Adley Rutschman dilemma appears to now only be more complex. The former first-overall pick is set to become a free agent after next season, and according to Rosenthal, the Orioles faced a choice before their streak: “Sign Rutschman to an extension before the deadline or trade him.”

Rutschman also went on the injured list Monday with left wrist inflammation, something that Rosenthal said “further reduces the already low odds of the Orioles trading him.”

• The Atlanta Braves are not focused on one specific need at this deadline, president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said during an appearance on MLB Network Radio on Monday. “We can add rotation, bullpen, bats…,” he said. “Sometimes you just need to take what ends up being available to you.”