Recent Brewers blockbuster could be baseline for Tarik Skubal trade

In a similar fashion to the biggest question facing the Milwaukee Brewers this offseason, the Detroit Tigers have to decide how to approach their ace's looming free agency. Said ace, Tarik Skubal, is practically guaranteed to win his second consecutive AL Cy Young Award after improving on his incredible 2024 season with a 2025 campaign that saw him maintain an AL-leading 2.21 ERA and a MLB-leading WHIP of 0.891 during the regular season. Add to that three incredible postseason starts in which Skubal allowed just four total earned runs in 20.2 innings while striking out a ridiculous 36 batters, and there's no denying Skubal's unmatched talent.

However, just as Freddy Peralta is set to hit free agency after the 2026 season, so is Skubal, and with he and the Tigers reportedly $250 million apart on a contract extension, as reported by Jon Heyman of the New York Post, it appears more than possible that Detroit will look to trade away the talented southpaw before the start of next season.

Such a trade would feel unprecedented; rarely is one of the best pitchers in the game traded away during their prime. Therefore, one former Brewers blockbuster, that at least resembles a potential Skubal trade by the Tigers, has already been noted as the template President of Baseball Operations Scott Harris and the rest of Detroit's front office should build off of.

Corbin Burnes blockbuster cited as closest comparison to a potential Skubal trade

It's certainly not a perfect comparison. Corbin Burnes was two years removed from his NL Cy Young-winning season, and Skubal will most likely be coming off of back-to-back Cy Young Awards. But the Brewers dealing their ace prior to the 2024 season was cited as the closest comparison for a potential Skubal trade in an article from MLB.com's Mark Feinsand on Wednesday morning.

According to Feinsand, "Three executives cited the Burnes trade as a strong comp, though all of them believe the Tigers will be able to extract more for Skubal," which shouldn't come as a surprise to Brewers fans or anyone in baseball for that matter. Skubal is one of the most unique talents in the game right now, and his playoff experience and relatively modest projected arbitration salary of $17.8 million, according to MLB Trade Rumors, should keep both contenders and smaller-market teams involved in the trade talks.

If the Brewers aren't involved in the Tarik Skubal trade talks, which certainly isn't a guarantee (there's a world where the Brewers keep Peralta, add another front-line starter, and finish what they started in 2025), what's far more relevant to the current Brewers' squad is how the presence of the Tigers’ ace on the trade market will impact a potential Freddy Peralta trade.

How Tarik Skubal trade rumors affect Freddy Peralta's market

With another ace on the trade market, the equation shifts slightly in regard to the Brewers potentially trading away their ace, Freddy Peralta. Without Skubal in the picuture, Peralta is the best starting pitcher on the trade market, with other options such as the Minnesota Twins' Joe Ryan closely behind. Holding the best player in a certain trade market is an excellent place to be, because it means you effectively control said market, setting your own price and pace for any potential trade. You aren't waiting around for another deal to go down to reveal your true trade partners or the price of starting pitching in the given offseason, but rather waiting for teams to match the high price that you establish at the onset.

Such is the position the Brewers would have found themselves in, if not for the rumors that Detroit could be looking to move their ace this winter. Now, the Brewers will more than likely wait for a Skubal trade to occur before they move Peralta, if they do elect to do so, as it would create a sense of scarcity among the teams that lost out on the Tigers’ ace and potentially increase the return that Milwaukee would get for their ace.

Additionally, any return that the Brewers receive for Peralta will be directly impacted by the return that Detroit gets for Skubal, which could end up working in Milwaukee's favor, so long as the Tigers get what they deserve for the best pitcher in the American League.

With Peralta owed less than half of what Skubal is expected to make in 2026, he remains an intriguing trade option for pretty much any team, but it's likely Matt Arnold and company wait to make a decision on their ace until Detroit decides if they are trading theirs away.