A's land lefty ace Tarik Skubal in mega-deal with Eugene

12.21.25

In their fourth trade of the off-season Hot Stove period the Athletics have added another true ace to their starting pitching rotation. But the deal with Eugene did not come cheaply.

A's GM Matt Veasey first approached Emeralds GM Dave Fackrell about the possibility of acquiring lefty ace Tarik Skubal back in October. The two never came close to a deal at that point.

But over the weekend the two re-engaged and finally found a deal. The price for the A's: three talented arms and a boatload of draft picks.

Heading to Eugene are veteran starters Shane Bieber and MacKenzie Gore as well as young righty Eury Perez. The Ems also added four Minors and a pair of Majors Draft picks. 

This was the package the two settled on in making their second trade of the off-season, both bringing a starting pitcher to Philly. Back in late October it was Aaron Nola coming back to town in exchange for prospect outfielder Joshua Baez and a Minors pick.

Skubal was the 2024 WFBL Steve Carlton Award winner as the league's top pitcher. He was runner-up to Garrett Crochet for the honors this past season and named to his second straight WFBL seasonal All-Star team.

"We paid a high price," said Veasey. "But that's what it takes to land a top talent like Tarik. His work the last two years speaks for itself. He is one of the handful of best pitchers in the game. At just age 29, he is in his prime and will pitch there for the next few seasons."

Skubal joins Chris Sale, obtained in trade from Detroit in early October, as part of a potentially dominating ace-laden starting rotation along with Paul Skenes and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

"Psyched to be adding Tarik," said manager Mark DeRosa. "Hate losing the guys that we did. Loved those guys. But we all understand that you have to give in this game in order to get."

The Athletics are clearly going to be shooting for "one for the thumb" in the 2026 season, one that will be shortened to just six playoff teams.