The Philadelphia Phillies have crawled back into contention after beginning the season 9-19 and firing manager Rob Thomson. With Don Mattingly at the helm, they're now 30-29, 9.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves for the National League East lead and just 1.5 games back from a wild-card spot.
One of Philadelphia's strengths has been its starting pitching. Through 59 games, they rank ninth in innings pitched (318.2), are tied for 13th in ERA (4.12) and rank fourth in strikeouts (325). The group has been led by Cristopher Sanchez, who in 12 starts has a 1.47 ERA and has emerged as a Cy Young candidate.
Despite that, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal claimed that Philadelphia should not be ruled out in the Tarik Skubal sweepstakes.
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“They have luxury tax issues like the Dodgers,” Rosenthal said. “So you’re effectively paying double in salary for what you will be getting here… I don't know if they would actually do it when they would have other needs, of course, but at the same time, I just don’t rule out [Dave] Dombrowski and [John] Middleton in a situation like this.”
Aiming for a June return while recovering from elbow surgery, Skubal has become the premier target for this year's trade deadline. With the Tigers sitting at 23-38, the buzz continues to grow surrounding the two-time Cy Young Award winner.
He was putting together yet another effective season before going under the needle. In seven starts this season, he tossed 43.1 innings, posting a 2.70 ERA and .946 WHIP. His opponents were slashing .222/.253/.329.
Set to become a free agent after the season, getting an extension done will be crucial for any team attempting a trade. Spotrac projects Skubal will earn a nine-year, $379 million contract. That would be a major commitment for the Phillies, whose $281 million payroll is already well above the luxury tax threshold of $244 million.
