According to ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney, the Seattle Mariners are going to be one of the teams who aggressively pursue left-hander Tarik Skubal on the trade market this offseason.

The Mariners are expected to be among the teams that go after Skubal, to bring him back to the city where he attended college. The Mets, of course, have an acute need for an ace to lead their rotation -- a need borne out through their late-season collapse -- and they have the sort of major-league ready young talent that the Tigers will want, like Jonah Tong. The Red Sox are well-positioned to make a run at Skubal, if they want.

About Skubal 

Simply put? He's the best pitcher on the planet right now. The reigning Cy Young winner (2024), he's expected to win the award again in the American League this year. He went 13-6 with a devastating 2.21 ERA, striking out 241 batters in 195.1 innings.

He helped lead the Tigers to the American League Division Series, where they were ironically beaten by the Mariners in five games.

Why would he be available?

He's headed into the final year of his contract and is still affordable through arbitration. However, reports indicate that he and the Tigers are nowhere close in negotiations on a long-term deal. If they think they are going to lose him for nothing next offseason, then they may want to cash in now, similar to when the Brewers traded Corbin Burnes before the 2024 season.

How about the money? 

Skubal made $10.5 million this past season and would likely be in line for somewhere around $20 million in 2026. Spotrac has him projected at $22.5 million. While that would eat up a lot of the M's $35-ish million to spend this offseason, it would be worth it to acquire a premium ace as Seattle chases the World Series.

How about the M's rotation?

On paper? The Mariners already have five starters and don't need another. That said, we saw how fragile rotations can be this season, when the M's lost four of five starters at varying times.

If the M's were able to acquire Skubal? They'd be free to potentially move Luis Castillo or another member of the rotation, potentially for a bat.

What could the deal look like? 

Your guess is as good as mine, but Adam Jude of the Seattle Times recently proposed a deal in which the M's trade Logan Evans, Jurrangelo Cijntje and Felnin Celesten to Detroit. The latter two are Top 100 prospects. It would be a hefty cost for the M's, and would the Tigers even do it considering only Evans is MLB-ready at this point? 

Five big moves the Mariners should make this winter With a chance to capitalize on all the momentum they created this October, the Mariners need to be bold this winter. Here are five moves to consider.

Next

We'll have Olney on the 'Refuse to Lose' podcast on Thursday, and we'll be sure to ask him all about this report.

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