Only 10 shopping days remain until the traditional MLB trade deadline, and if you have a starting pitcher on your list, bring extra prospects.
Here are three available starting pitchers contenders are coveting as the July 30 deadline ticks closer.
LHP Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers
As a bona fide ace under team control through 2026, the 27-year-old will cost a bevy of top prospects, but for a World Series contender, it’s the price you’re willing to pay to put your team over the top this season.
The Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Dodgers, who entered the season with the No. 1 and No. 8 farm systems, respectively, per MLBPipeline.com, are short on starting pitching due to injuries and have a deep prospect pool with which to acquire the first-time All-Star.
At the 2022 trade deadline, the San Diego Padres acquired All-Star Juan Soto, who still had two-plus years of team control, from the Washington Nationals. It cost San Diego four of its top prospects—shortstop CJ Abrams, outfielders James Wood (Washington’s current No. 1 prospect) and Robert Hassell III (No. 9) and left-handed starter MacKenzie Gore—and didn’t lead to a World Series title, but there’s risk and reward involved with every trade.
Skubal, who entered the second half 17-6 with a 2.57 ERA, 242 strikeouts and 35 walks in 34 starts over the past 1 1/2 seasons, certainly appears to be worth the risk.
LHP Garrett Crochet, White Sox
Jun 30, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet (45) throws the 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 through 2026 and will be an expensive acquisition in terms of prospects traded in return. But signs point to the White Sox parting with the 25-year-old first-time All-Star, along with other trade chips, as they continue their quest to climb out of baseball’s basement.
What might concern potential suitors is Crochet’s innings total (107 1/3) this season already eclipsing the 73 frames he tossed from 2020–23 (he missed the 2022 season following Tommy John surgery). But he’s 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 only 23 walks at the All-Star break.
Count the Dodgers among the World Series contenders interested in acquiring the left-hander, per an ESPN report on Saturday: Crochet “is considered to be at the top of the (Los Angeles) Dodgers’ list, regardless of whether he’s a starter or a reliever the rest of the way.
“He could be, at the very least, a key multi-inning member of the Dodgers’ bullpen, but the White Sox will ask for a return based on his value as a starter nonetheless.”
LHP Tyler Anderson, Los Angeles Angels
Jul 6, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Anderson (31) throws the ball against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports Unlike the pair of southpaws mentioned above, Anderson is older (34) and under contract through 2025, the final year of a three-year, $39 million deal. However, given his age and contract, a contender can acquire him without losing its top prospects.
The two All-Star selections he’s garnered in the last three seasons prove he’s not even close to hitting the wall despite entering his mid-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 19 first-half starts.
That’s the type of value teams covet when searching for reliable arms who’ve been around the block and continue to thrive.
Could Anderson reunite with the Dodgers, with whom he earned his first All-Star nod in 2022 (15-5, 2.55 ERA)? Perhaps if they don’t land Skubal or Crochet, but the valuable veteran is sure to have his share of suitors willing to take on his 2025 salary, including the Cardinals, Red Sox, Guardians and Brewers.
