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MLB rumors: Mets, Dodgers, Tigers Paul Skenes Godfather trade offers concocted by ESPN
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- MLB rumors: Mets, Dodgers, Tigers Paul Skenes Godfather trade offers concocted by ESPN
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The post MLB rumors: Mets, Dodgers, Tigers Paul Skenes Godfather trade offers concocted by ESPN appeared first on ClutchPoints .
There's no reason to suspect the Pittsburgh Pirates are going to deal starting pitcher Paul Skenes at the trade deadline. But this is early July, which is peak trade rumor season , and that means we can all explore the possibility.
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ESPN's David Schoenfield did just that on Tuesday, examining what it would take to send the Cy Young candidate to a trio of contenders: the New York Mets , Los Angeles Dodgers and Detroit Tigers . But, of course, he first had to state the obvious:
"He's arguably the best starter in baseball, perhaps on his way to a Cy Young Award in his first full season," Schoenfield wrote. "He's one of the biggest names in the sport — despite playing for the lowly Pirates — and a player you can build not only a pitching staff around but a championship contender. He's under team control through 2029 and doesn't even become arbitration-eligible until 2027, so the Pirates are still years away from paying him a fair salary."
Then Schoenfield acknowledged a harsh reality: Skenes is a pitcher and pitchers get hurt sometimes. It's possible that Skenes' trade value will never be higher than it is right now.
Potential Paul Skenes prospect trade packages
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The offers laid out for Skenes are:
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New York Mets : SS/CF Jett Williams (No. 20), RHP Jonah Tong (No. 50), RHP Nolan McLean, IF Ronny Mauricio , OF Carson Benge
Los Angeles Dodgers : C/OF Dalton Rushing (No. 14), OF Josue De Paula (No. 17), IF Alex Freeland , RHP Emmet Sheehan , LHP Jackson Ferris
Detroit Tigers : OF Max Clark (No. 8), SS Kevin McGonigle (No. 11), RHP Jackson Jobe , IF Colt Keith , RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long
Of the three, Schoenfield pegs the Tigers as the most likely to get a deal done. The franchise has the perfect combination of farm system depth and payroll flexibility to make a big move for a pitcher who will command big money down the road.
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In this theoretical trade, the Pirates would get two top-15 prospects in the sport to headline the package — and Detroit would still have plenty of talent left over. Pittsburgh would also get Jobe, a former elite prospect who just underwent Tommy John surgery .
The potential return for the Pirates could set them up for years to come, but potential does not guarantee anything. The Pirates have Skenes now and a chance to build around him. Prying him free will take a lot.
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