Why Rays never had a serious chance to trade for Tarik Skubal from Tigers

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Why Rays never had a serious chance to trade for Tarik Skubal from Tigers originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Tampa Bay Rays were expected to be buyers at this year's trade deadline, which they indeed were. Adding Liam Hicks to the roster was a very nice pickup, and while Freddy Peralta's Rays' debut didn't go well, he's an intriguing upside option for the team.

Tampa Bay did emerge as a potential landing spot for Detroit Tigers Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal at this year's trade deadline. He'd be a fantastic addition to their rotation. But there were two major issues.

As ESPN's Jeff Passan revealed, the Rays had one main untouchable in Theo Gillen, which already made trade talks nearly impossible, and adding their two next prospects created overlap with Detroit, effectively rendering a deal off the table.

Why Rays had practically no chance to acquire Tarik Skubal​

"For the Rays to be in the mix, they needed to include their top prospect, outfielder Theo Gillen, a first-round steal taken with the No. 18 pick in a 2024 draft that might rival 2005 as the best this century," Passan writes. "Tampa Bay, whose operating philosophy requires homegrown talent on inexpensive deals, declined to make Gillen available."

That alone is already the end of the Skubal to Rays trade talk, but if there was any doubt, the Rays had another major issue with a trade link with Detroit.

As Passan noted, "With their second- and third- best prospects (catchers Caden Bodine and Nathan Flewelling) sharing a position with Detroit's Dillon Dingler, the best catcher in baseball, the Rays' chances at landing Skubal ended before they really began."

MORE:How Cubs inadvertently helped Dodgers trade for Tarik Skubal

To sum up the Rays' pursuit of Skubal, they were refusing to include Gillen in the deal, and their next best prospects that could actually move the needle were both at a position where there isn't really any way to make an overlap work.

As seen with the Rays' rival in the Baltimore Orioles, who just traded Adley Rutschman with Samuel Basallo now in-house, having more than one good catcher doesn't really do a team any good other than as a trade chip or as a designated hitter/first baseman.

The Rays and Tigers didn't really have a way to make a Skubal trade work this summer. Even though the Tigers might've accepted a deal headlined by Gillen, and the Rays might've wanted Skubal, the odds for such a deal were slim to none.

More MLB news:​

• Cubs land Kevin Gausman in blockbuster trade with Blue Jays
• Red Sox expected to trade Jarren Duran during offseason, not MLB trade deadline
• What did Mets get for Freddy Peralta? Rays send three prospects for 4.99 ERA SP
• Tigers receive lousy grade for Tarik Skubal trade to Dodgers from ESPN
• Royals DFA former Phillies All-Star reliever Matt Strahm after trade deadline

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