The Milwaukee Brewers had a solid foundation to land Tarik Skubal, but they didn't budge on the Detroit Tigers' demands.
Even if the Milwaukee Brewers did make a trade for Tarik Skubal, that could've been a move that set this organization back years.
In an ideal world, the Detroit Tigers didn't make a deal with the devil, so to speak, but that's not the reality of the world we live in.
The Los Angeles Dodgers didn't necessarily outbid the Brewers, but the Tigers were simply interested in a guy like Logan Henderson, someone Milwaukee had no interest in trading, and rightfully so.
It makes sense why Detroit would want a young pitcher under team control, so that's basically what they got in the Dodgers' package with River Ryan. Sure, Ryan is three years older than Henderson and hasn't set foot in the majors, but he's LA's No. 7 prospect for a reason.
To the Dodgers, losing Ryan means nothing. He's a guy that likely should've already been in the big leagues for a few seasons by now, but their stacked rotation simply left no room for him.
Now? There's going to be even less room, especially after they likely sign Skubal to a long-term extension after the 2026 season. Whether or not there's even a 2027 season remains to be seen, but it's moves like these that could soon be a reality.
Brewers have to play the long game
MLB.com's Adam McCalvy got a "relative comp" for what the Tigers were looking for, and it included the following players: Logan Henderson, Luis Pena, and Bishop Letson or Josh Knoth.
One has to sit there and ask themselves, how is that even close to what the Tigers got out of the Dodgers? Luis Pena is the team's No. 2 prospect, and while he doesn't have a clear path to the majors with Jesus Made ahead of him, it's laughable that the Dodgers didn't have to give up anyone ranked higher than No. 5 in a farm system that's worse than the Brewers.
Ultimately, the Tigers got No. 5, No. 7, and No. 17 out of the Dodgers. If Milwaukee was looking to pull off the same trade, they wanted a stellar big-league pitcher in Henderson, Pena, who's their No. 2 prospect, and then either No. 9 Letson or No. 10 Knoth.
No one can fault the Brewers for not making that trade. We live in a reality where Milwaukee had the tools to pull off a deal, but Detroit simply wasn't on the same page as the Brewers, so Milwaukee didn't budge, and rightfully so.
