This is the time of year to dream big regarding trades, and with the Atlanta Braves, there is already a pretty lengthy wishlist. Yes, the Braves need another decent right-handed bat (probably a left fielder), and there are a number of areas of the roster that need reinforcement right now. However, the most obvious need is at least one rotation arm, and Tarik Skubal's name just keeps coming up.
Now, it is easy to write off the early Skubal chatter. So much of the early trade rumor mill is "experts" just matching players with teams with specific needs without much thought beyond that. While Alex Anthopoulos has been aggressive at times while in charge of the Braves' front office, he has never been a guy to charge after rentals that he (basically) can't sign to an extension. In that context, a Skubal trade felt like a fever dream.
However, the buzz around the Braves and Skubal has continued into the month of July. After USA Today's MLB insider Bob Nightengale's report that the Braves are considered the favorites to trade for Skubal, that chatter is bound to pick up.
Braves continue to be connected to Tarik Skubal trade rumors, but that raises some questions
Now that the Braves are considered by opposing executives to be the favorites to land Skubal is pretty exciting. While Skubal hasn't looked amazing since coming back from elbow surgery, he is still widely considered to be among the two or three best pitchers in baseball right now. If you want to send a signal to your fans and clubhouse that you are going for it in 2026, there isn't a louder one than trading for Skubal.
However, such a move would be really out of character for Anthopoulos given his track record. AA likes guys with team control attached if he is going to pay up, and Scott Boras being Skubal's agent doesn't help the cause. More than that, the Braves only just got their farm system in decent shape again. How much sense does it make to undo a lot of that work for two-ish months of Skubal?
Again, we are a long way off from having to actually worry about a Skubal trade. As Nightengale himself noted, Skubal's market isn't likely to resolve itself until very close to the deadline itself, so we are a month away from finding out just how serious the Braves are about pursuing him. The odds are probably better than a name like Sonny Gray plus an additional depth starter ends up being Atlanta's deadline play. However, the odds are definitely higher of a Braves blockbuster for Skubal now than they were before.