Braves report raises questions about Tigers-Dodgers Tarik Skubal deal

Was the Detroit Tigers' deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers for Tarik Skubal the only one truly considered? A report detailing the Atlanta Braves' hopes of landing Skubal makes that seem like a possibility.

According to a social media post from Gabe Burns with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Braves were very much in on acquiring Skubal from the Tigers before Major League Baseball's Aug. 3 trade deadline. However, a lack of response from Detroit helped the deal to fall through, sealing Skubal wearing Dodger blue for the rest of the season and perhaps beyond.

"The Braves were in on Tarik Skubal and made some of their top prospects available, but Detroit never presented an offer that’d get it done. It seems like it was always going to be the Dodgers there," Burns posted on X.

Tigers-Dodgers trade involving Tarik Skubal questioned

While it's unknown exactly which "top prospects" were offered by the Braves, the return package that the Tigers received from the Dodgers for the two-time Cy Young Award winner has been questioned by many. Detroit received three prospects (outfielder Zyhir Hope and right-handed pitchers River Ryan and Brady Smith) from the Dodgers in exchange for Skubal. Each was ranked among the top 20 prospects in the Dodgers system, per MLBPipeline.

After the trade, Hope has become Detroit's second-ranked prospect while Ryan slots in fifth. Smith comes in at number 15.

Tigers president Scott Harris has been adamant that the Dodgers' prospects were the best package offer received by Detroit, telling reporters, "There was a bidding war. There were a lot of organizations involved, and there wasn't any need to stretch it any further. The organizations that were involved were extremely aggressive, and they put what I believe to be their max offers. And then they added to those offers, also, and almost got to a point of audible pain when they actually produced their best bold offers. And they gave them to us and we pulled the trigger."

Burns believes Atlanta was a part of that "bidding war," but how responsive the Tigers were to the Braves for their offer becomes a question. Additionally, the last line of Burns' post saying, "It seems like it was always going to be the Dodgers there," raises additional questions.

Certainly Skubal landing in Los Angeles gives him the best chance, according to oddsmakers, to win a championship this season. It's also possible that the Dodgers will be the long-term home for Skubal based on the resources the franchise has spent in the past on talent.

Perhaps it was "always" going to be the Dodgers. However, it's fair to wonder just how much the Tigers helped make that happen, handicapping the chances of the Braves and other teams in pursuit of a generational arm.