“You are not going to get Jackson Holliday” - MLB analyst rules out the option of Tigers-Orioles trade amid Tarik Skubal rumors

MLB analyst Ben Verlander believes that the Baltimore Orioles will not give up their top prospect, Jackson Holliday; therefore, he strongly urged the Detroit Tigers to refrain from trading Tarik Skubal. Verlander believes that Skubal is currently the best pitcher in the MLB, and it does not make sense for the Tigers to trade him with more than two years of player control remaining on the contract.

Skubal is enjoying a breakthrough season after earning his first All-Star selection in 2024 and is one of the leading contenders to win the Cy Young Award in the American League this year. At present, the Tigers ace has a 10-4 record with a 2.34 ERA in 123 IP and 10.7 strikeouts per 9 innings.

Verlander, who currently works as an MLB analyst for FOX Sports, is a former professional baseball player who was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 14th round back in 2013. He offered his opinion on the Tarik Skubal trade rumors during the latest episode of his podcast, Flippin' Bats With Ben Verlander.

"If you are the Detroit Tigers, you cannot and should not trade Tarik Skubal. You have a 27-year-old pitcher who is currently, as we speak, the best pitcher in baseball. Do not trade him," Verlander advised the Tigers.

"Let's start with this. You are not going to get Jackson Holliday. If you are the Detroit Tigers, who are you looking to get by trading Tarik Skubal? The next Tarik Skubal? What are you looking for? He's the best pitcher in baseball. He's 27 years old, not a free agent until 2027, when he will be in his age-30 season," he added.

The Detroit Tigers are currently in fourth place in the AL Central with a 50-51 record and lie 6 games away from the final spot in the wildcard standings.

Trading away Tarik Skubal could set the Tigers back a few years, says Ben Verlander

Trading Tarik Skubal at the deadline will have huge repercussions on the Detriot Tigers, says Ben Verlander (Image credit: IMAGN)

The Detroit Tigers are a young team that has been improving over the past couple of years. However, Ben Verlander feels that moving Tarik Skubal before the trade deadline will seriously hamper the progression of the team. The 32-year-old former player compared the current situation to the time when the Tigers traded away his namesake Justin Verlander to the Houston Astros in 2017.

"Last time you tried to trade away the face of the franchise as a pitcher, it failed miserably. You traded away Justin Verlander to get Franklin Perez, Daz Cameron, and Jake Rogers. In case you are not a massive Detroit Tigers fan, you don't know those names," he said.

"Trading away the face of the franchise in Justin Verlander blew up in your face miserably and set the franchise back a decade. And that's not being too dramatic; this trade happened in 2017. It set the franchise back a decade. You failed everywhere on that," Verlander added.

According to Ben Verlander, the Tigers are not a long way off from being a good team. They have a strong pitching staff with Tarik Skubal in the starting rotation, and the front office should focus more on improving the offensive production from its lineup.