If the Milwaukee Brewers want Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, it will take some sacrifices.
The 2026 MLB Trade Deadline is closing in, and by Aug. 3 at 6 p.m. ET., teams must be committed to whatever moves they are making.
The name that has dominated the rumor mill has been Detroit Tigers ace and back-to-back American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal. Skubal’s future with the team has been uncertain for some time now, and his departure might occur within the coming days.
So, if the Milwaukee Brewers wanted to trade for Skubal, who would they need to part with?
Say goodbye to Henderson
Recently, Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic compiled a list of pitchers from various teams that would likely need to be included in the framework of a deal for Skubal. In Milwaukee’s case, Rosenthal and Sammon believe right-hander Logan Henderson would be the outgoing arm.
Henderson, 24, is on a one-year, $780,000 deal. Next season, he will be in the pre-arbitration stage. Henderson recently returned from a stint on the Injured List due to a low back strain, and he has a 3-1 record through seven starts and a 2.97 ERA.
Henderson has been good for the Brewers, but if their pitching staff was fully healthy, he'd probably be the fourth option in the rotation. As Rosenthal and Sammon mentioned, none of the pitchers on the list has been "a world beater" this season, except for Henderson.
Henderson was the exception in this situation because of his injury, not because he is an elite ace. If the Tigers really wanted to get bold, they could ask for Jacob Misiorowski or Kyle Harrison to match the value of Skubal.
All told, sacrificing Henderson for Skubal might be a good move for the Brewers, who are one of baseball’s best teams and no doubt have serious World Series aspirations. However, he would only be a good rental, because Milwaukee is not going to pay him what he is worth in free agency.
If anything, the similarities to Milwaukee’s deal for CC Sabathia in 2008 would be striking, but maybe it is what can get the Brewers over the hump. But there is no way the Tigers will only trade Skubal for Henderson straight up, right?
More to it
If the Brewers want Skubal, it is going to take more than Henderson.
In their article, Rosenthal and Sammon bring up the addition of multiple prospects being attached in a deal for the Tigers’ star arm. That is not exclusive to the Brewers, either. It goes for any interested team.
Because of Milwaukee’s elite farm system, it is well positioned to shed a prospect or two if it wants Skubal enough.
It is hard to say who the Brewers would be willing to part with, though. It is difficult to imagine Jesus Made being made available for Skubal, given that he is the No. 1 prospect in baseball.
Perhaps a player such as infielder Luis Pena would be enough. The Brewers have a lot to offer in terms of prospective talent; it is simply a matter of who they are willing to part with and who Detroit would like to have.
Join the Community
Don't miss out on our ROUNDTABLE community and the latest news!
It's completely free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!
