Brewers Willing To Absorb All Of Tarik Skubal's Salary

Key Points:

• Brewers owner Mark Attanasio is reportedly willing to cover the full remaining $9.8 million (dropping to $9.4 million by deadline) of Tarik Skubal’s $32 million salary, signaling a strong interest in acquiring the two-time AL Cy Young winner despite Milwaukee’s typically modest payroll.
• Milwaukee’s current $136.262 million payroll is already near franchise record levels, and adding Skubal would push it even higher, but the team has shown a willingness to take financial risks recently, including paying part of Lance McCullers Jr.’s contract to acquire Colton Gordon and signing top prospects Cooper Pratt and Luis Lara to large extensions.
• The Brewers’ rotation has been hit by injuries, with key starters Brandon Woodruff and Quinn Priester out for the season and Kyle Harrison recently returning from injury; adding Skubal alongside Jacob Misiorowski and Harrison could create one of the strongest playoff rotations in baseball.
• Detroit’s trade demands for Skubal are expected to be high, likely requiring Milwaukee to part with a current non-Misiorowski starter plus prospects, though the Brewers are unlikely to trade top prospect shortstop Jesus Made, relying instead on their deep farm system to assemble a competitive offer.
• A Skubal trade would echo Milwaukee’s bold 2008 acquisition of CC Sabathia, which involved a costly prospect package but resulted in a legendary pitching performance that propelled the team to the postseason, highlighting the potential impact of such a high-profile move.