The Detroit Tigers probably cannot trade Tarik Skubal without dramatically compromising their chances of winning the World Series. But the Tigers are at least mulling the possibility of securing a package for Skubal that potentially would keep them strong in the present while making them stronger for the future.The way they would do it, according to two rival executives briefed on the Tigers’ thinking, is by trading Skubal for a controllable starting pitcher plus quality prospects. The starter would replace Skubal in the rotation, backfilling his innings but almost certainly providing lesser performance.Among the pitchers who might fit in such a trade:Emmet Sheehan, Los Angeles DodgersLogan Henderson, Milwaukee BrewersIan Seymour, Tampa Bay RaysAndrew Painter, Philadelphia PhilliesJR Ritchie or AJ Smith-Shawver, Atlanta BravesWill Warren or Ryan Weathers, New York YankeesWith the exception of Henderson, who recently missed 6 1/2 weeks with a lower back strain, none of those pitchers has been a world beater this season. Certainly none has been close to the level of Skubal, who has a 2.97 ERA in seven starts since returning from his innovative NanoNeedle surgery to remove loose bodies in his left elbow.All, however, have shown varying degrees of promise. And all would be with the Tigers for longer than two-plus months, the amount of time Skubal has left with the Tigers before he becomes a free agent. So, of course, would any prospects Detroit landed in the trade.2026 Aces Project update: MLB insiders rank starting pitchersAndy McCulloughThe problem with such a scenario is that the Tigers’ playoff odds would take a hit, their odds of winning the World Series a major hit. Those odds, as of Wednesday morning, are relatively steep — 28.3 percent to reach the postseason, 2.4 percent to win the Series. And that’s with Skubal on the roster.“Threading the needle”— the term baseball executives use to describe a strategy in which they both buy and sell, the way the Tigers could with Skubal — can be both difficult and disruptive.Remember the uproar when the Milwaukee Brewers made the infamous Josh Hader trade at the 2022 deadline, sending the closer to the San Diego Padres for left-hander Taylor Rogers, righty Dinelson Lamet, outfielder Esteury Ruiz and pitching prospect Robert Gasser.The Brewers figured Rogers could help replace Hader, who was coming off a July in which he had a 12.54 ERA in 9 1/3 innings. Their short-term plan did not work. Trading Hader sucked the life out of them, the way trading Skubal could for the Tigers.Milwaukee went 19-21 the rest of the way, losing its three-game lead in the NL Central at the deadline and missing the playoffs.Long-term? The Brewers came out of it just fine.That offseason, they flipped Ruiz in a three-team trade that landed them catcher William Contreras, who became a three-time All-Star. Gasser, after recovering from Tommy John surgery, is now part of their rotation mix.The difference with the Tigers is that Skubal gives them a chance of reaching the World Series in a particularly down year for the American League. With the current CBA in effect until Dec. 1, they still would receive a draft pick after the first round as compensation if they made him a qualifying offer and he left as a free agent.Such picks can be valuable: The Tigers landed All-Star infielder Kevin McGonigle with the 37th overall choice in 2023. That pick was a competitive-balance selection. The one the Tigers gained for Skubal would come before that round.The deadline is 12 days away. The Tigers need not make any decisions yet. They can keep playing this out, pondering every scenario and hypothetical. Trading Skubal for a package that includes a lesser starting pitcher under greater club control is just one possibility.Dombrowski: Phillies’ system good enoughThe Philadelphia Phillies’ farm system, ranked 15th by The Athletic’s Keith Law, is not exactly the envy of the sport. But Dave Dombrowski, the team’s president of baseball operations, believes the Phillies have enough young talent to address each of their three principal needs — a No. 5 starter, high-leverage reliever and right-handed hitting outfielder.“There is plenty of interest in players in our system,” Dombrowski said Tuesday. “That’s not a concern at all.”Like most clubs, the Phillies are deep in prospects they can trade for marginal additions. But Law based his modest ranking of their system on three prospects he ranked in his preseason top 50 — shortstop Aidan Miller (No. 6), right-hander Painter (No. 22) and outfielder Justin Crawford (No. 48).Miller underwent a procedure in early June to address a back problem that has sidelined him all season. Painter had a 7.06 ERA in 65 innings, mostly as a starter, before getting demoted to Triple A. Crawford entered Tuesday 26 percent below league average in adjusted OPS, and 34th among 40 center fielders in Outs Above Average.