Phillies rumors: Insider shares honest take on Philadelphia’s chances of trading for Tarik Skubal

With the Philadelphia Phillies coming off the series with the Los Angeles Dodgers, losing two of the three contests, the team continues what has been an underwhelming start to the 2026 season. As the Phillies look to make some noise in the NL East, despite the Atlanta Braves’ dominance, this MLB insider speaks on whether the team would go after Detroit Tigers star Tarik Skubal.

Ken Rosenthal would speak on “Foul Territory,” and how, because of how “competitive at their respective jobs” owner John Middleton and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski are, Philadelphia could be in the running for the pitcher. However, Rosenthal would point out what would be the No. 1 fan question regarding the team’s actual needs this season.

“Now, if you’re a Phillies fan watching this, you’re probably saying, ‘Wait a second, the problem with this team is not the starting rotation. The problem is the offense,’ and that is certainly true,” Rosenthal said. “Looked up the other day, the Phillies, I believe, were bottom five in a number of offensive categories. That’s shocking when you look at who’s on that team, but at the same time, Dombrowski historically loves pitching. You would expect that with the players they have on that roster, they’re going to come around offensively.”

Could the Phillies make a run at Tarik Skubal?

"I just don't rule out Dombrowski and Middleton in a situation like this," says @Ken_Rosenthal. pic.twitter.com/1252JgbCIm

— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) June 2, 2026

More on the Phillies potentially going after Tarik Skubal

Looking at the Phillies as of Tuesday, the team ranks towards the bottom of major offensive statistics, despite having some firepower. The thinking could be that the offense will come around at some point, and already boosting an effective rotation with a back-to-back AL Cy Young winner could be electric.

“Ultimately, in the end, if they can get Tarik Skubal and they can get him at a price they deem reasonable, and again they have luxury tax issues like the Dodgers…So I don’t know if they would actually do it when they would have other needs, but at the same time, I just don’t rule out Dombrowski and Middleton in a situation like this,” Rosenthal said.

It remains to be seen if the Phillies will be in the Skubal sweepstakes.

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