MLB insider reveals possible blockbuster trade that could land Boston two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Boston Red Sox have made it known that one of their top priorities this offseason is finding another ace-level pitcher to pair with Garrett Crochet in the No. 2 slot of the rotation. Many critics have linked them to Detroit Tigers two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, as the Sox have the assets to get him.

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The Athletic’s Jim Bowden is no different. He believes he has a blockbuster trade proposal that could bring Skubal to Boston without Boston suffering heavy losses.

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The trade would look like this:

Red Sox get: LHP Tarik Skubal

Tigers get: LHP Connelly Early, UT Kristian Campbell, OF Jhostynxon García, RHP Christian Foutch

“The Red Sox are coming off a postseason berth and are looking to build on that momentum. Adding Skubal and pairing him with Garrett Crochet would give Boston the top left-handed duo in baseball,” Bowden wrote.

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Skubal’s the real deal; he posted a 13-6 record, a 2.21 ERA, 241 Ks, and a WHIP of 0.891 over 195 innings pitched. He won his second Cy Young this season as well, with his rival in Crochet coming in second. Combining the two into a 1-2 punch would be legendary.

There are a couple of snags to this trade, though. One, Skubal only has a year left on his contract, and if the Sox can’t re-sign him, then they lose four top prospects for a rental. He’s also estimated to cost around $400 million, so if the Sox trade for him, they need to be ready to pay for that.

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The second snag is Connelly Early. Early proved in the final games of the season and Game Three of the Wild Card series that he’s set to be a superstar. The Sox will really not want to give him up, especially when he’ll be so cost-effective for the foreseeable future.

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However, if the Sox can make a trade for Skubal without Early AND re-sign him, then they need to pull the trigger as fast as they can.

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