Pirates would never make ridiculous Tarik Skubal trade proposed by ESPN

ESPN's proposed Tarik Skubal trade for the Pittsburgh Pirates makes for a fun thought experiment. It also makes absolutely no sense for the Pirates.

In a recent trade-deadline exercise, ESPN's Bradford Doolittle proposed Pittsburgh send Jared Jones, Jhostynxon Garcia and a Competitive Balance Round A draft pick to Detroit for Skubal, a package that prospect expert Kiley McDaniel suggested could realistically be among the Tigers' best offers.

From Detroit's perspective? Sure. But from Pittsburgh's perspective, it's not even close.

Tarik Skubal is arguably the best pitcher in baseball. Nobody is disputing that. But the Pirates already have the kind of frontline starting pitching most contenders would kill for. Paul Skenes is already one of the game's elite arms. Mitch Keller remains a reliable veteran presence. Braxton Ashcraft has emerged as a legitimate rotation piece. Bubba Chandler is one of baseball's top pitching prospects with tremendous upside. Jones just returned from injury and still possesses top-of-the-rotation upside himself.

If anything has held Pittsburgh back this season, it hasn't been the rotation. The bullpen entered June ranked near the bottom half of baseball in most meaningful categories and has repeatedly turned wins into losses. The lineup has improved dramatically compared to previous seasons, but it still has questions. Third base remains an area of concern. The club has lacked consistent offensive production from several positions throughout the year.

Starting pitching is arguably the one area where the Pirates possess genuine organizational depth. So why would they trade from that strength to address a problem they don't have?

Pirates trading for Tarik Skubal at the expense of future success would be a huge mistake

The logic behind the proposal essentially boils down to this: imagine a playoff series featuring Skenes and Skubal. Sure, that sounds terrifying. But it also ignores everything required to get there.

The Pirates aren't one superstar away from becoming overwhelming World Series favorites. They're a good team with clear flaws that still need to be addressed. Trading one of their most talented young starters, one of their most promising young position players and a valuable draft asset for another ace doesn't solve any of those flaws. In fact, it potentially creates new ones.

Jones alone is a massive price to pay. Before his injury, he looked every bit like a pitcher capable of becoming a long-term fixture near the front of Pittsburgh's rotation. He's under club control for years, makes virtually nothing compared to Skubal's future earning power and is exactly the type of talent small-market teams are supposed to build around, not trade away.

Then there's Garcia. The outfielder has already reached the major leagues and continues to look like a player who could be an important piece of Pittsburgh's future. Trading six-plus years of a young, controllable position player for a pitcher when your biggest needs exist elsewhere is difficult to justify. Add in the Competitive Balance Round A pick, one of the few mechanisms small-market clubs have to acquire premium talent, and the proposal becomes even harder to defend.

The Pirates have spent years building a sustainable core. They should now be focused on supplementing that core, not cashing it in on one luxury item.

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