Angels could be true losers from Tigers' indecisive Tarik Skubal trade stance

For teams all across MLB with starting pitcher trade pieces, it could be a bit of a waiting game ahead of the trade deadline. The Los Angeles Angels have a solid trade piece in José Soriano but they may have to wait and see what Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal draws in a trade, or if he gets traded at all, before they can deal Soriano.

It’s certainly not a guarantee that Skubal will be traded by the Tigers. While Detroit has had a rough season, they could still conceivably turn things around by the deadline and convince themselves they can make a second half run similar to the one the Cleveland Guardians made in 2025.

But, if Detroit remains well under .500 then there really isn’t any reason for the team to keep him. He’s going to be a free agent after the season and all indications are that the Tigers have no plans to sign him to a long-term deal.

That means teams may just wait to make trades for other starters since Skubal could essentially reset the market for what can be asked for in a trade.

Angels may have to play a waiting game with José Soriano

Soriano is obviously a different case than Skubal, though. He is not going to be a free agent until 2029 so he’s got several years of team control left. He’s also been one of the best starters in the American League so far with a 2.96 ERA in 82 innings pitched.

Teams looking for starting pitching help may certainly give the Angels a call to inquire about his availability because he could completely transform a playoff team’s rotation overnight even though he has experienced some struggles as of late.

It’s no slam dunk the Angels would want to trade Soriano. The team could certainly get a nice haul in return for him but he is also developing into an ace. Even though the team is not competitive right now there’s a chance he could be the head of the staff in a few years when the team is more competitive.

It won’t be an easy decision for the Halos and it’s complicated by the fact that general manager Perry Minasian is not under contract after this season. He could make a momentous decision on Soriano that he will not even have to deal with the ramifications of.

The Angels would be wise to at least listen to offers on Soriano to see if any team blows them away, but they may have to be very patient and wait to see what happens with Skubal first before Soriano starts to get more attention.

That could really cost Los Angeles though because there's a chance in that time period teams strike deals with other teams and give up prospects that they may have included in a deal for Soriano. 

They really could be at the mercy of what the Tigers do with Skubal and how quickly they do it which is not really an ideal place to be ahead of the trade deadline.

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