The Philadelphia Phillies have a problem with the starting rotation. For as good as Cristopher Sanchez, Zack Wheeler, and Jesus Luzardo are, the Phillies have been getting terrible production from their No. 5 spot.
Aaron Nola's inconsistencies haven't helped either, resulting in what's not one of their top-three needs at the trade deadline being a starting pitcher. They could pursue a cheap option, or the Phillies could go after one of the top starters available.
Recently, the Phillies were linked to Tarik Skubal in an intriguing trade rumor from ESPN's Buster Olney, alongside the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, and Chicago Cubs, as one of the top landing spots for the Detroit Tigers' ace.
"Skubal is clearly the best pitcher on the market," Olney writes. "And even if the Phillies, Braves, Cubs, or Dodgers don't land Skubal, they'll want to remain in the market for as long as possible to help push the potential cost for a rival team."
This rumor from Olney is interesting for the Phillies on a few different fronts. For starters, simply being named alongside these other top contenders as a suitor for Skubal in a trade is noteworthy.
The Phillies typically haven't been linked to Skubal, but Olney mentioned them as one of four potential suitors. Philadelphia might actually be a realistic landing spot for Skubal.
Of course, it's not likely at all for Skubal to come to Philly, but after the Philadelphia 76ers landed Jaylen Brown and LeBron James, it might be too soon to write anything off.
The other interesting thing from Olney's report is that one or multiple of these teams could be involved in the trade sweepstakes to drive up the price.
While the Phillies might not be a realistic suitor for Skubal, they could be involved in trade talks, pushing the cost of Skubal higher to hurt the Braves or Dodgers, their top competition in the National League, in their pursuit of Skubal.
Even if the Phillies were never legitimately a landing spot, if a rival is going to land Skubal, the Phillies might as well make it cost as much as possible by getting involved in trade talks with the Tigers.
This update from Olney on the Skubal sweepstakes featured an intriguing mention of the Phillies. Even if they're not serious players for Skubal, being mentioned among the top spots for the left-hander is very intriguing.
