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The Padres need some starting pitching. While it will be hard to land somebody like Tarik Skubal, there is one scenario in which it could work.

The Toronto Blue Jays continue to fall in the MLB standings, and recent injuries are not helping their case to return to the MLB playoffs. On Sunday afternoon, Toronto was hit with a double whammy of injuries when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Dylan Cease were removed from the game.

MLBTradeRumors.com wrote: “The team announced left hamstring discomfort as the reason for Cease’s removal. Guerrero has been diagnosed with a right elbow contusion. The first baseman had X-rays taken, which came back negative for a fracture, per the club.”

Dylan Cease will likely undergo further testing for that hamstring injury, and more details should surface on Monday.

Recently, the Toronto Blue Jays were linked by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale to Detroit Tigers starter Tarik Skubal, who could be traded this trade deadline cycle:

“Now that it’s becoming inevitable that the free-falling Detroit Tigers may have no choice but to trade two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal at the deadline, rival executives believe the bidding will come down to four finalists that not only can afford the remainder of his $32 million contract, but will also be willing to give up prized prospects: The Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and San Diego Padres.”

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Blue Jays-Tigers Trade Idea Sends Tarik Skubal to Toronto

GettyTarik Skubal #29 of the Detroit Tigers pitches against the Athletics during the first inning at Comerica Park on June 24, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)

Let the speculation begin after the recent trade rumors by Nightengale.

FanSided.com’s Mark Powell wasted no time proposing a trade the Blue Jays should make with the Detroit Tigers to land Tarik Skubal. Powell speculates the Blue Jays could put together a two-player prospect deal of Arjun Nimmala and Gage Stanifer:

“This is essentially what Murray outlined above. Nimmala is a top-60 prospect in all of baseball, but the Blue Jays have some insurance at the position. Their second-ranked prospect, JoJo Parker, is a shortstop and a year younger. Stanifer is the Jays sixth-ranked prospect, hence this being a strong trade package.”

Remember, Skubal could just be a rental if he’s traded for due to his impending free agency. As for the suitors that Bob Nightengale mentions, it’s every team you would expect to make a run for Skubal because Skubal will still be owed a good chunk of change for the remainder of the season.

As for the Blue Jays and the Dylan Cease injury, Cease’s durability is supposed to be his calling card, and Toronto absolutely can’t afford to be without him for long, given the instability of the rotation and its injuries right now.

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Will Tarik Skubak Be Traded?

GettyATLANTA, GEORGIA – APRIL 29: Tarik Skubal #29 of the Detroit Tigers pitches in the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on April 29, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Despite all the smoke by recent MLB executives and even Bob Nightengale, it’s still so hard to tell whether or not Tarik Skubal will actually be traded. His trade status is at an all-time high (which means it makes the most sense to trade him right now), and the Tigers are in absolute free fall.

If the Tigers don’t anticipate handing Skubal the largest pitcher contract in MLB history this offseason, they need to go ahead and rip the band-aid off and make the difficult decision to trade Skubal.

The Tigers are 21-33, and in last place in the American League Central. Detroit has sorely missed the services of Skubal in May, who has been sidelined with an elbow injury.

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