Red Sox Rumors: Boston “Well Positioned” to Land Tarik Skubal in Blockbuster, Capping $18M Cy Young Showdown.vc

After a 2025 AL Cy Young race that saw Boston’s Garrett Crochet and Detroit’s Tarik Skubal finish as “runaway favorites,” the Red Sox are reportedly primed to acquire Skubal in a market-shifting trade.

BOSTON — Buckle up, baseball fans. The hot stove is already a scorcher.

Just days after the Baseball Writers’ Association of America unveiled a “showdown for the ages” in the American League Cy Young race, the two “runaway favorites” might be teaming up.

ESPN’s veteran insider Buster Olney lit the fuse on Wednesday, reporting that the Detroit Tigers might shop their ace, Tarik Skubal, this offseason. And, according to Olney, the Boston Red Sox are “well positioned” to trigger a bidding war for the $18 million lefty.

This explosive rumor comes as Skubal and Boston’s own Garrett Crochet were named finalists for the 2025 AL Cy Young Award. They are joined by Houston Astros righty Hunter Brown, who posted a sizzling 2.43 ERA and 266 strikeouts.

If this blockbuster goes down, the Red Sox would boast the most terrifying 1-2 punch in MLB, with both of the AL’s top aces anchoring their 2026 rotation.

Why the Tigers Would Trade a Cy Young Finalist

The logic, according to Olney, stems from Skubal’s contract. The 28-year-old ace is set to hit free agency after the 2026 season and will earn a projected $18 million in his final year of arbitration.

“Other teams believe the Tigers will seriously consider moving him if they can glean what they want in a trade,” Olney penned, adding that Skubal “reportedly has zero interest” in signing a long-term deal with Detroit before testing the market.

This leaves the Tigers in a tough spot: trade their lifetime 3.08 ERA stud now for a massive haul, or watch him walk away for a single compensatory draft pick.

Flipping Skubal could supercharge Detroit’s already stacked farm system, which was ranked No. 5 in the league at season’s end by Bleacher Report and features gems like shortstop Kevin McGonigle (baseball’s No. 2 overall prospect) and outfielder Max Clark (No. 8).

The Red Sox’s Prospect “Ammo”

The Red Sox and Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow are “loaded for this hunt.” To acquire Crochet from the White Sox last offseason, Breslow sent a massive package of four top prospects, including catcher Kyle Teel and 2024 first-rounder Braden Montgomery.

A deal for Skubal would demand a similar, if not larger, bounty. Boston has the ammo, built on a string of strong drafts:

• Kyson Witherspoon (No. 4 Prospect): The 2025 first-round pick (No. 15 overall) is a 21-year-old fireballer from Oklahoma who already touches 99 mph.
• Jhostynxon Garcia (No. 3 Prospect): A slugging outfielder with serious, game-changing pop.
• David Sandlin (No. 10 Prospect): A 24-year-old right-hander (and another Oklahoma product) who came over in the 2024 John Schreiber swap.
• Miguel Bleis (No. 15 Prospect): A dynamic five-tool outfielder from the Dominican Republic, signed for $1.5 million in 2021.

A package built around those names could be enough to get a deal done. If it is, the Red Sox would immediately vault to World Series frontrunner status for 2026. The hot stove is officially on.