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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 San Diego Padres have been able to keep pace with the back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West. They lead the wild card race but are only 1 1/2 games behind the reigning champions.

However, one key area that they could look to improve is their starting rotation. They have a lot of injuries in that area of the roster, including Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove, who are both expected to be out for the rest of the 2026 season.

The Padres could potentially try to improve the rotation at the trade deadline. Mike Axisa of CBS Sports notes that they could be a team to watch if the Detroit Tigers‘ slide continues and they trade two-time American League Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal.

“Assuming he returns from surgery without a hitch, Skubal would instantly become the best available pitcher and the best available player period at the trade deadline if the Tigers do put him on the market,” Axisa wrote this week. “Every contender — Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, etc. — would make a run at him. The bidding war would be fierce.”

What the Padres May Have to Give Up

San Diego’s top three prospects are catcher Ethan Salas, left-hander Kruz Schoolcraft and right-hander Miguel Mendez, respectively. To land Skubal, it might take all three of those prospects, even with him in the final year of his contract and coming off of an elbow surgery.

The Tigers are going to ask for a haul for Tarik Skubal in exchange, and the Padres do have some good prospects, but are not as deep as teams like the Dodgers, so potentially acquiring Skubal is going to take some creativity on general manager A.J. Preller’s part.

But if the Padres are serious about catching the Dodgers and ending their reign as NL West champions, they will need to be willing to make the bold moves that put them over the top. They were willing to do it last year when they acquired Mason Miller from the Athletics.

If they are willing to do that again, then they should have no problem landing Skubal from the Tigers, especially if their slide continues.

Detroit is now 10 games below the .500 mark with Skubal recovering from surgery to remove loose bodies in his pitching elbow. Even a potential return may not be enough to save the Tigers’ season at this point.

The Potential Risk

While it could work out, it doesn’t come without significant risks. As mentioned prior, Skubal is a free agent at the end of the season, and the Padres are a little more conservative with their spending than the Dodgers are. In addition, there is an injury risk. Skubal has a long history of elbow injuries, and the Padres will have to decide if it’s worth it to go after a pitcher who is injury prone.

On top of that, they would have to give up a lot of prospects. After the Miller trade, they would essentially have to sell all their remaining top prospects, which could leave the farm system weakened.