If the Philadelphia Phillies were to trade for Tarik Skubal, it would be the biggest deal of the winter.
It wouldn’t be a mistake, no matter who says it would be. I don’t care who the Phillies have to give up. Tarik Skubal is Tarik Skubal.
It would be very smart if the front office actually understood where the championship window is and made the moves to keep it open.
Despite that, some think the Phillies shouldn’t make the trade due to having to give up Aidan Miller and Andrew Painter, including Edward Eng of FanSided.
“With Skubal, you are almost guaranteed a quality start each time he takes the mound. He's one of the indisputable No. 1 aces in the league. As Zack Wheeler aims to work back into game action following his surgery, Skubal would be the perfect candidate to anchor the Phillies’ rotation to maintain their position as having one of the top starting rotations in the majors.
“However, to get Skubal, Philadelphia would need to be prepared to give up at least their top position prospect and top pitching prospect, which means Aidan Miller and, gulp, Andrew Painter. Yes, the same Painter that everyone has been anticipating for so long. He could turn out to be the next homegrown ace of the franchise,” he wrote.
Eng is right about things, as the cost would be high. To land Skubal, Philadelphia would almost certainly need to give up Miller and Painter.
Painter is viewed as a potential frontline starter himself, while Miller has been viewed as a future star, too. However, for Painter, especially, the chances of him becoming Skubal are slim to none.
That’s the most important part of this entire conversation. Skubal isn’t someone they have to worry about. The Phillies would know they have the best or second best pitcher in baseball every five games.
Yes, trading Painter hurts. Sure, moving Miller hurts. But the Phillies need to win right now with this core.
At some point, the big move has to come. I get the Phillies have made big moves in the past, but one more never hurt anyone.