June 25, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) pitches in the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Comerica Park. Mandatory credit: David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports Only 10 shopping days remain until the traditional MLB trade deadline, and if you have a starting pitcher on your list, bring in an extra prospect.
Here are three pitchers available to contenders as July 30 approaches.
LHP Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers
As a bona fide ace in control of the team through 2026, the 27-year-old will cost a bevy of top prospects, but for a World Series contender, that’s the price he’s willing to pay to put the team on top this season. .
The Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Dodgers, who entered the season with the No. 1 and No. first All-Star.
At the 2022 trade deadline, the San Diego Padres acquired All-Star Juan Soto, who still has two more years of team control, from the Washington Nationals. It cost San Diego its four top prospects—shortstop CJ Abrams, outfielders James Wood (Washington’s No. 1 prospect now) and Robert Hassell III (No. 9) and left-handed starter MacKenzie Gore—and did not lead to a World Series title, but there are risks and rewards involved in every trade.
Skubal, who entered the second round 17-6 with a 2.57 ERA, 242 strikeouts and 35 walks in 34 starts over 1 1/2 seasons last season, is certainly a risk.
LHP Garrett Crochet, White Sox
June 30, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet (45) throws a ball against the Colorado Rockies during the first inning at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports Crochet is under team control until 2026 and would be a valuable acquisition in terms of prospects being traded. But the signs show the White Sox parting with the 25-year-old first All-Star, along with other trade chips, as they continue to look to climb out of baseball’s basement.
What may worry potential prospects is that Crochet’s innings total (107 1/3) this season has surpassed the 73 frames he threw from 2020–23 (he missed the 2022 season after Tommy John surgery). But he has been dominant after a tough April, posting a 1.61 ERA in 72 2/3 innings to go along with a major-league-leading 150 strikeouts against just 23 walks at the All-Star break.
Count the Dodgers among the World Series contenders interested in acquiring the left-hander, according to an ESPN report: Crochet “is considered at the top of the (Los Angeles) Dodgers’ list, regardless of whether it is a starter or a reliever on another road.
“He may be, at the very least, a key multi-inning member of the Dodgers’ bullpen, but the White Sox will demand a return based on his value as a starter.”
LHP Tyler Anderson, Los Angeles Angels
July 6, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Anderson (31) throws a ball against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports Unlike his aforementioned southern counterpart, Anderson is older (34) and under contract until 2025, the final year of a three-year, $39 million deal. However, due to his age and contract, a contender could acquire him without losing a top prospect.
The two All-Star selections he’s earned over the last three seasons prove he’s nowhere near the wall even in his 30s. The 2011 first-round pick earned his second trip to the Midsummer Classic this year for a subpar Angels team, sporting a 2.97 ERA and an 8-8 record in his first 19 innings.
That’s the kind of value teams want when they’re looking for a reliable weapon that’s been on the block and moving forward.
Could Anderson reunite with the Dodgers, who earned his first All-Star title in 2022 (15-5, 2.55 ERA)? Perhaps if they did not receive Skubal or Crochet, but the famous veteran certainly has a share of suitors willing to take on 2025 salary, including the Cardinals, Red Sox, Guardians and Brewers.
