The Milwaukee Brewers already have, arguably, the best 1-2 punch in terms of starting pitchers in Major League Baseball. Jacob Misiorowski and Kyle Harrison each have ERA’s under 2.00 and have dominated opposing hitters for months. In a seven-game playoff series, Milwaukee sending those two out for Game One and Game Two give them just as good of a chance of a 2-0 series lead as anything.

But for a team that has never won a World Series and has not appeared in one since 1982, they are going to be looking for anything on the trade market that can finally get them over the hump. The biggest name on the trading block right now is Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, who will be a free agent at the end of the year.

The Milwaukee Brewers would have to give up a lot to get Tarik Skubal

Skubal, who has won the American League Cy Young Award in each of the past two seasons, is in the final year of Detroit’s control over him, and will be a free agent at the end of the year. Currently on the injured list due to a minor arm procedure, he is 3-2 with a 2.70 ERA in seven starts this year.

Since the Tigers are stuck in rebuild mode, it would behoove them to trade Skubal before the MLB trade deadline to get some prospects they can use in the immediate and long-term futures.

Milwaukee, of course, has one of the best farm systems in baseball, and have an embarrassment of wealth when it comes to high-quality prospects.

ESPN’s recent trade proposal between the Brewers and Tigers would see Milwaukee send away three that some fans may not want to see gone:

The offer: OF Luis Lara, 3B Andrew Fischer and RHP Coleman Crow

“Milwaukee’s internal model would likely reject this, but owner Mark Attanasio should override it. Skubal could deliver a 2008 CC Sabathia-type stretch run, one that would narrow the gap between the Brewers and Dodgers in a potential playoff rematch. Skubal in Game 1. Jacob Misiorowski in Game 2. Kyle Harrison in Game 3. That trio would provide Milwaukee its clearest path to a pennant since 1982.”

The GM says: “I like that this offer features two position players as headliners, with everyone in the upper minors or big leagues. With similar value to the Yankees’ and Rays’ offers, that puts the Brewers a bit ahead in this tier of similar packages. Ultimately, this still doesn’t include a likely impact player or top-100 prospect, so there just isn’t quite enough here to make me think we can negotiate this to a completed deal.” — McDaniel

Coleman Crow has already made a handful of starts in the Majors this season and looks to be a promising pitcher in the Majors. Sending him away in a trade is understandable considering how much depth the Brewers have organizationally in the pitching department.

But the other two prospects, Luis Lara and Andrew Fischer, may be too much for Milwaukee. Lara is right on the cusp of the Majors and his hitting well over .300 at Triple-A. Fischer, meanwhile, has 18 home runs in High-A, already having set the Timber Rattlers single season record for homers. Widely considered the best third base prospect in baseball, he is currently the Brewers future at the position.

That being said, in order to get Skubal, Milwaukee would need to sacrifice some future stars.

Here’s the thing, though. If the Brewers are to compete for and win a World Series, they do not currently need to add another ace. They have two already!

What they need is a slugger, a power bat that can hit a home run any given time at the plate. That is something they do not have, and it doomed them in the NLCS last year.

While adding Skubal to the rotation would be fun, Milwaukee needs a power hitter more than anything.

More Milwaukee Brewers news from Wisconsin Sports Heroics

• Jacob Misiorowski delivers a pitching stretch not seen since Bob Gibson in 1968
• Jacob Misiorowski looked distraught after hitting Rockies batter in the head
• Injury updates on Brandon Woodruff, Logan Henderson, and Quinn Priester

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