Philadelphia Phillies Fans Won't Like Their Tarik Skubal Chances

The Philadelphia Phillies absolutely need more starting pitching, among multiple other things before the MLB trade deadline.

Obviously, the big kahuna is Detroit Tigers superstar Tarik Skubal, who is hitting free agency after the season and almost certainly isn't re-signing with the Tigers.

Detroit surely knows it has to move him before next Monday, and it seems like only a matter of time before the Tigers start aggressively fielding phone calls.

The Phillies are expected to be one of the teams that will inquire about the two-time Cy Young award winner, and that should not come as much of a surprise.

Philadelphia is in win-now mode, and while the trio of Cristopher Sanchez, Zack Wheeler and Jesus Luzardo is fearsome at the top of the rotation, the Phillies are severely lacking depth behind them.

Adding Skubal into the mix would allow Philadelphia to roll out Skubal, Sanchez and Wheeler in a short playoff series, and in a seven-game set, you would have Luzardo as your No. 4 starter. That's nasty stuff.

The problem? The chances of Philly actually being able to acquire Skubal seem rather slim.

We know that the Phillies have one of the worst farm systems in baseball, and many of their top youngsters have watched their stock drop like a rock this season.

Andrew Painter bombed in his big-league debut and was demoted. Justin Crawford has struggled in center field. Aidan Miller hasn't even played due to a back injury. Aroon Escobar's production has fallen off a cliff.

Gage Wood is absolutely intriguing, and the Tigers would surely ask about him. But would Philadelphia want to move Wood for potentially two months of Skubal?

The fact that Skubal is an impending free agent will absolutely drive down Detroit's demands, but not to the point where a bidding war between contenders won't still result in a fairly substantial haul heading back to the Motor City.

If the Phillies decide to include Wood in an offer, they may have a chance. And perhaps if the Tigers still value Painter highly in spite of his major-league hiccup, a Painter-centered package could get something done. But the chances seem fairly remote.

Plus, Philadelphia has a gaping hole in its lineup, and its bullpen could use some reinforcements, as well. How would the Phillies trade for Skubal and still have enough ammunition to fix the other problems?

It's definitely an enticing thought, but I'm just not sure how realistic a Skubal trade actually is for Philadelphia.