The 3 Worst Fantasy Baseball Landing Spots for Tarik Skubal at the Trade Deadline

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Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) walks off the field after pitching against Athletics during the fifth inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Tarik Skubal is going to be the focal point of the MLB trade deadline, which approaches its August 3 date. The Cy Young winner will be demanding a massive contract this upcoming offseason. While the Tigers own Skubal for now, they are unlikely to retain their ace. It would be smart of the team to deal with Skubal, and surely, they will try. However, not all landing spots may be so kind to his valuation in fantasy sports. Here are the 3 worst places for Tarik Skubal to play baseball.

Detroit Tigers​

The Tigers are the 2nd-most likely place for Skubal to play baseball before the start of the 2027 MLB season. Per Kalshi, his current probability of remaining a Tiger is 15% as of July 15.

Skubal's upside is lowest in Detroit for the simple reason that they are not very good. Different from 2025, when the Tigers thrived, they are 44-52 at the All-Star break. The team is 6.5 games out of the AL Central lead and 3.5 games out of the Wild Card. He has ultimately struggled to win, with a 5-5 record over 13 starts despite his 3.09 ERA.

As a smaller market team, the Tigers will also have less to offer Skubal in the hitting department in the years to come. The team has the 10th-highest payroll in MLB, and they are certainly on their higher end of things in 2026, the given that Skubal accounts for over 15% of that $208 million number.

New York Yankees​

One might think this is a crazy labeling. Are the Yankees a bad landing spot for Skubal? Well, yes, and no. The sport of baseball is the only top sport where there is no set dimension for the field. Each MLB stadium has its own outfield dimensions, which introduces the concept of park factors.

Yankee Stadium ranks 8th-easiest in 2026 park factor. In home runs allowed, they are 3rd-easiest. Over 96 games played, the stadium has seen 125 total home runs. The average MLB stadium has allowed 99 home runs. That means Yankee Stadium allows 25% more home runs than the average ballpark.

In contrast, the Yankees will expect to aid Skubal's win probability. They are 54-42 as of July 15, and they rank 5th-best in Team Offensive Rating. Skubal will contest for the role of 'ace' with Gerrit Cole and Max Fried, although that should have little effect on his value.

We ultimately label Skubal as limited in his upside playing in New York. Not to mention, the spotlight of playing in New York with its demanding media will be taxing on any player cut from any cloth.

Tampa Bay Rays​

How high can Skubal rise in Tampa? This is 23rd in payroll and heavily reliant on their small-ball style. The team is doing quite well in 2026 with a 56-38 record in the AL East. However, they are a team that will be continuously volatile year over year. It is due to the simple fact that the Rays will not spend the big bucks, which puts them behind their competitors like the Yankees, Red Sox, and Blue Jays.

Especially if Skubal does go to the Rays and they manage to resign him after the 2026 season, the team will be spread very thin. Assume Skubal earns over $50 million in average annual value; the organization will have over 25% of its expected payroll tied up and thus be unable to sign and/or extend any big-name hitters to support the Cy Young ace.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/onsi/fantasy as The 3 Worst Fantasy Baseball Landing Spots for Tarik Skubal at the Trade Deadline.

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