Red Sox-Tarik Skubal Speculation Takes Significant Hit

The hot stove is starting to turn on around Major League Baseball.

We've seen a few minor league signings across the league so far, but this is the calm before the storm. At this point, everything is mainly rumors and speculation. The general manager meetings helped to stir up the conversations around the league. For the Boston Red Sox, it's clear what the priorities are: one or two big bats and a high-end starting pitcher. Craig Breslow said so himself while speaking to the media throughout the week.

As the offseason has started to pick up steam, there have been trade rumors all over the place. One thing that is important to note is that more of the chatter will never lead to actual deals. It's easier to talk about the possibility of a deal online than it is to actually get a trade done. An idea that has been out there, but has seemed like a pipe dream from the beginning is the idea of the Red Sox -- or any team for that matter -- getting a trade done with the Detroit Tigers centered around Tarik Skubal.

He's going to be a free agent after the 2026 season and so the buzz around him as been mainly about the idea of a move. Boston, unsurprisingly, has been an easy team to speculate about. But, The Athletic's Jim Bowden threw some cold water on the idea.

"Though Skubal would be any team’s top target in terms of talent, it could be extremely difficult to trade for him because a team would have to give up a significant package of young talent and would only be guaranteed to have him for one year," Bowden said. "The Red Sox were willing to take on a similar risk last winter when they traded four top prospects to the White Sox for Crochet (who had two years of team control remaining) and then were rewarded when he signed an extension in April.

The rumors are loud out there with the Red Sox