'Dark horse' Tarik Skubal trade rumor is bad news for Yankees, Red Sox

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With less than two weeks remaining until the Major League Baseball trade deadline, all eyes are on Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers.

The back-to-back AL Cy Young Award winner could be switching teams if the Tigers fall out of the postseason race and decide to sell.

While the Los Angeles Dodgers and other clubs that need pitching, like the Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs, would be logical fits for Skubal, there's an AL East team that should also be considered.

The Athletic's Katie Woo, Will Sammon and Patrick Mooney tabbed this team as the "dark horse" trade candidate for the left-hander.

"If Skubal becomes available, the industry expects the [Tampa Bay] Rays to act aggressively. The Rays and the Yankees are the two top teams in what is otherwise a mediocre American League," The Athletic trio wrote. "They are looking for a starter, and Skubal, alongside Drew Rasmussen and Shane McClanahan, would create a formidable trio for the playoffs."

This may be the best year for the Rays to make a strong World Series push. Outside of the Yankees, the AL is relatively weak.

Rays can make strong push for Skubal

Adding Skubal to the rotation would make them the favorites to win the pennant, especially if they can avoid the Wild Card Series.

This wouldn't be the first time the Rays have an aggressive mindset at the deadline or during the offseason.

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"According to multiple executives, whenever the Rays’ playoff odds are high, they’ve always tried to go big-game hunting," The Athletic wrote. "One year, they added Nelson Cruz. Another year, they tried for Shohei Ohtani."

Clearly, the Rays are not afraid to swing big. If they manage to land Skubal, the Yankees and Boston Red Sox could have a difficult time catching up to them in the division race.

Following a 15-game winning streak by the Red Sox, they are right back in the AL East mix. As of Thursday, the Yankees are 2.5 games behind Tampa Bay.