Earlier this week, the Seattle Mariners were linked to ace pitcher Tarik Skubal on the trade market.

Skubal has one year left on his contract with the Detroit Tigers, and there's no real indication that they are going to trade him, but still, speculation has run rampant.

The Mariners potential involvement makes some sense in the sense that their rotation was battered around by the Toronto Blue Jays in the playoffs, and that Skubal played collegiately at Seattle University. Furthermore, the Mariners notoriously don't like to spend big money on outside players, so while Skubal's final arbitration number will be high, it won't be the kind of long-term investment one would have to make on the free agent market.

However, as we discussed on the most recent episode of the 'Refuse to Lose' podcast, is Skubal something the Mariners actually need?

1) It's clear that the Mariners starting rotation has lost its cloak of invincibility from 2024. Four of the Mariners five starters were injured in 2025 and Skubal has been largely healthy for the last two seasons. If the Mariners can get themselves as sure a thing as possible in the rotation, that's a good thing.

2) Secondly, Luis Castillo is clearly regressing. He's not bad, of course, as he delivered solid numbers this past season (11-8, 3.54 ERA in 32 starts), but his FIP of 3.88 suggests there was some luck there, and as he gets set to turn 33 and the fastball velocity dips, there's reason to believe he's not the same pitcher they acquired in 2022.

3) The Mariners were one win from getting to the World Series. If you can upgrade and get over the hump, why wouldn't you?

As said on the podcast:

Let's say that you have just bought a house, and in that house you have a basement that functions really well. It's carpeted, it's structurally good, it's got room for a good size TV, a nice recliner, you've got a refrigerator upstairs to keep the soda, beer, frozen pizzas, whatever you want. It's perfectly nice, perfectly convenient. You enjoy going down there to watch games, relax, unwind, play video games, whatever. So you've got this very suitable area that's pretty good, but after you buy the house, you decide to massively upgrade the area. And I'm talking the whole nine yards, the expensive pool table, the dart board, new lighting, the big, big screen TV. You put in a bar down there. This is the Taj Mahal of basements and man caves. You love this thing, you're pumped to show it off, but in the meantime, your roof is failing, you've got a room upstairs that needs repainting fully, and you've got a car that, by the way, doesn't work that great either.

So you've upgraded this thing that was already pretty good, but you've got all these other things that you've neglected in order to upgrade that thing.

That would be the Mariners if they got Tarik Skubal and did nothing else. They would have a luxury item, this upgraded rotation, and we'd all be pumped about it. But there would be those other things in the house failing.

And that "failing" thing refers to the offense in this case, which could lose Jorge Polanco, Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suarez in free agency.

If the Mariners are going to upgrade their rotation, which is still good, and could be great if everyone stays healthy, they better be willing to upgrade everything that needs fixing. We can all want Tarik Skubal, but there's no sense in having luxury items if you lack the basic necessities.

You can listen to the full podcast in the player below for more:

LATEST PODCAST IS OUT: Brady Farkas is back for the the latest episode of the Refuse to Lose podcast! He talks about all angles of the Tarik Skubal trade conversation, including if the Mariners actually need him, and then he's joined by ESPN Radio host Freddie Coleman, who talks heartbreaking losses, and even gives a little Seahawks insight. CLICK HERE: 

COULD M's MAKE MOVE FOR SKUBAL? According to Buster Olney of ESPN, it's possible. CLICK HERE: 

LEODY FINDS NEW HOME: Former M's outfielder Leody Taveras has signed on with an AL foe. CLICK HERE: 

Remember to join our MARINERS on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Mariners fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!