Six Tarik Skubal trade partners for Detroit Tigers

When the Brewers traded ace Freddy Peralta to the Mets last offseason, it might've served as a model for what the Tigers can fetch for Tarik Skubal.

Peralta was entering the final season of his contract and coming off an All-Star campaign in which he posted a 2.70 ERA and finished fifth in NL Cy Young voting. Sensing they were likely to lose him in free agency next winter, the Brewers cashed in on Peralta's value -- including his team-friendly $8 million salary -- and flipped him to the Mets for two of their best prospects, both of whom were on the verge of the majors.

The Brewers got infielder/outfielder Jett Williams, at the time a top-30 prospect per MLB Pipeline, and right-handed pitcher Brandon Sproat, a top-100 prospect who had debuted for the Mets last September. Sproat hasn't pitched well but has still made nine starts this year for the Brewers, who are once again leading the NL Central, while Williams is in Triple-A and could help them later this season.

Skubal is a better pitcher than Peralta and will be the most sought-after commodity ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline, assuming the last-place Tigers opt to sell. But a few factors that could make them closer in trade value than it might appear:

Where the Brewers sold a full season of a pitcher on an easily-digested salary who's eligible for a qualifying offer as a free agent, the Tigers will be selling two months of Skubal, his prorated $32 million salary, and the fact that his acquiring team won't receive draft pick compensation should he depart as a free agent. (Skubal wouldn't be eligible for a qualifying offer after a mid-season trade.)

The Tigers are tied for last in the majors after entering the season with a top-10 payroll and World Series ambitions. Barring a dramatic climb in the standings, or a sudden change in extension talks with Skubal's camp, they really have no choice but to trade the two-time defending AL Cy Young winner while they can. And they will likely be aiming for the sort of MLB-ready (or close to it) prospects the Brewers got for Peralta. Scott Harris would have a hard time justifying anything else, with the Tigers believing they should be AL mainstays.

So, which contenders are best-equipped to draw Detroit's interest? Have we mentioned the Brewers?

Milwaukee has the top farm system in baseball, per MLB Pipeline. They boast the No. 1 prospect in the game in Double-A shortstop Jesus Made, who's likely off limits for a rental, and a highly-regarded infielder named Luis Peña who's still years away from the majors. But their next three prospects could entice Detroit, all of them in MLB Pipeline's top 100: Williams (the infielder-outfielder acquired for Peralta), Triple-A shortstop Cooper Pratt and Triple-A outfielder Luis Lara, who's hitting .345 this season.

The Dodgers are always in play on the biggest names, and boast a similarly loaded farm system. They have three Double-A outfielders in MLB Pipeline's top 50 in Josue De Paula, Zyhir Hope and Mike Sirota; De Paula (No. 8 overall) is the jewel of the system, a slugger who's drawn comparisons to Yordan Alvarez. They also have a former first-round pick who's killing the ball in Triple-A in outfielder James Tibbs III, and two recently-graduated pitchers off to strong starts in the bigs in 26-year-old righty Emmet Sheehan and 25-year-old lefty Justin Wrobleski.

The Yankees don't have an especially deep system, but they do have several advanced prospects who could help the Tigers quickly: outfielder Spencer Jones, who's spent time in the majors this season, Triple-A shortstop George Lombard Jr. (the son of Tigers bench coach George Lombard), and Triple-A right-handers Elmer Rodriguez and Carlos LaGrange, the latter of whom is a 6'7 flame-thrower with the stuff to be a front-line starter.

The Cubs could make a strong bid for Skubal with several highly-regarded young players who are already in the majors, all of whom are former/current top-100 prospects, most of whom are currently blocked from everyday roles: slugging outfielder Kevin Alcantara, switch-hitting infielder Pedro Ramirez, infielder Matt Shaw and catcher Moises Ballesteros. They also have an enticing 6'6 right-hander in Triple-A named Jaxon Wiggins.

Never rule out Dave Dombrowski and the Phillies. They don't have tons of prospect capital left after last year's deadline deal for star reliever Jhoan Duran, but could they be tempted to move Triple-A shortstop Aidan Miller? He's been sidelined by a back injury this year, but ranks among the top prospects in the game. Otherwise, the Tigers could set their sights on a pair of former top prospects currently in the majors: 22-year-old center fielder Justin Crawford and 23-year-old right-hander Andrew Painter.

Finally, the Mariners, who are trying to take the next step after falling a game shy of the World Series last year. They boast seven top-100 prospects, including two in the top 10 and four in the top 30. If we assume recently-extended Colt Emerson (Seattle's version of Kevin McGonigle) is off-limits, and figure the same for left-hander Kade Anderson, three names to watch in Double-A: right-hander Ryan Sloan, power-hitting outfielder Lazaro Montes and infielder Michael Arroyo.