The Milwaukee Brewers' potential pursuit of ace Tarik Skubal just received more context.
The Milwaukee Brewers' chances in the Tarik Skubal sweepstakes just received an important update.
According to former Major League Baseball executive Jim Bowden, the Brewers are not going to include Jesus Made, the No. 1 prospect in baseball, in a trade for Skubal ahead of the MLB Trade Deadline on Aug. 3. However, Bowden makes it clear that Milwaukee still has enough to land him from the Detroit Tigers, even without sacrificing Made.
Why is it not worth it
The Brewers have a special player in Made. As previously stated, he is the No. 1 prospect in baseball and has maintained that ranking.
At just 19 years old, Made is an exciting young prospect whose bat speed on either side of the plate is lethal. Beyond his switch-hitting capabilities, scouts laud his growing raw power, even if he is not doing massive damage just yet.
In 88 games with Double-A Biloxi this season, Made has played 88 games and has a .277 batting average, a .351 on-base percentage, a .440 slugging percentage and a .791 OPS in 357 at-bats. He is also praised for his quickness on the basepaths and as a defender, where his range also benefits him at shortstop.
All of this is to say that Made is not worth renting for Skubal, and Bowden makes this clear. Realistically, Skubal will only be in Milwaukee for the remainder of the season before commanding massive money on the free agent market.
The Brewers cannot afford to keep Skubal long-term, and that common understanding will keep them from making Made available. However, that does not mean they should be out of the running for him.
Why Skubal is worth it for the right price
The good news for Milwaukee is that its farm system is brimming with talent beyond Made. The Brewers can realistically offer up other prospects that Detroit will be intrigued by, and that is why Bowden is keeping them in the running.
If the Brewers add Skubal, they are pairing a back-to-back American League Cy Young Award winner with one of the best young pitchers in Jacob Misiorowski.
The duo of Skubal and Misiorowski would be lethal, and it is the kind of move that can put Milwaukee, which has the second-best record in baseball, in serious standing to win it all.
Recently, Brewers President of Baseball Operations Matt Arnold made it clear that he wants to help the team at the Deadline, but he wants to do it responsibly. Arnold is not the type of executive to make hasty decisions, so if the Brewers get Skubal, they will not mortgage too much of their future.
