Tigers just gave Dave Dombrowski the perfect gift to cash in Phillies' trade chips

Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal is set to become a free agent following the 2026 season. He's as highly valued as it gets when it comes to a lead horse in a starting rotation. He'll be one of the most sought-after starters the sport has ever seen as he approaches free agency next offseason and the Philadelphia Phillies might just have a shot to add another elite pitcher to their squad.

According to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, the Tigers reportedly approached Skubal with a contract extension following the 2024 season that is laughable for arguably the best pitcher in the entire sport. Their noncompetitive offer came in at just four years and less than $100 million.

At the time, it would have covered Skubal's remaining two years of arbitration, and, to no one's surprise, he rejected the offer.

Phillies should pounce on Tigers if they're not willing to pay Tarik Skubal

If you asked anyone in baseball how off the Tigers were on their offer, you could have probably guessed it, knowing that his agent is Scott Boras. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Tigers and Skubal were reportedly $250 million apart in contract negotiations (subscription required).

With that gap in mind, Heyman is suggesting that Skubal will command around $400 million in free agency. That would easily earn him the largest pitching contract in MLB history. The largest currently is Yoshinobu Yamamoto's $325 million deal he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Phillies have a chance to jump in and use some trade chips to get Skubal to Philadelphia. The only problem is, it would have to include at least one of their three top prospects: Andrew Painter, Justin Crawford or Aidan Miller. Skubal won't come cheap, but he'll be worth the investment.

If the gap is as wide as it is for a potential contract, Skubal wouldn't mind going to a team that has no problem spending money. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has kept the Phillies over the luxury tax each of the last four seasons and 2026 will be no different. The Phillies could send over a package of prospects and MLB talent and, in return, truly have a generational rotation with Skubal.

Skubal is a two-time All-Star and has turned into a phenom in the sport over the past two seasons. He won the Cy Young and pitching Triple Crown last season and will most likely win the Cy Young again this season. In 31 starts, he pitched to a 13-6 record, 2.21 ERA and 0.89 WHIP with 241 strikeouts over 195 1/3 innings. His ERA, WHIP and 187 ERA+ all led the AL.

One thing that teams long for in a regular season and what can carry a team through October is starting pitching. The Phillies value that, and they've shown that with the talent they've accumulated along with the development of their pitching staff. The Phillies have one of the best rotations in baseball, which led the majors with 21.5 fWAR this past season.

They could reach an unprecedented level by bringing in Skubal. It would be a bold move, but we've seen the Dodgers do it, so why not the Phillies? They can bring him in for his final year of arbitration and then potentially still work out a deal to keep him long-term.