The Trade: Detroit Tigers send LHP Tarik Skubal to Minnesota Twins for OF Walker Jenkins, LHP Kendry Rojas and LHP Connor Prielipp

Only once in MLB history has a twice-reigning Cy Young winner been traded, when Roger Clemens went from the Blue Jays to the Yankees the winter after winning both the 1997 and 1998 AL Cy Youngs in Toronto.

And the overwhelming response to the Blue Jays getting David Wells, Homer Bush and Graeme Lloyd for “The Rocket” was: Really? That’s it?

It was a similar sentiment in recent years when Milwaukee shipped Corbin Burnes’ final year of arbitration eligibility to Baltimore for Joey Ortiz, DL Hall and a compensatory draft pick, and when the A’s gave up their final year of Chris Bassitt for little more than J.T. Ginn and Adam Oller.

Ultimately, this is why Tarik Skubal probably isn’t going anywhere this offseason, even though the trade speculation will continue to swirl. The Tigers are going to want the world for him, but teams simply aren’t likely to part with a platter of top prospects for one year of an ace with an estimated price tag of around $20 million.

Wouldn’t it be something, though, if the Twins gave up the Nos. 1, 5 and 9 prospects in their MLB.com pipeline in pursuit of what would be their first ALCS appearance in 24 years?

The prevailing sentiment in the aftermath of its approach to the trade deadline this past summer is that Minnesota will continue selling off key pieces this winter. Joe Ryan and Pablo López are already regarded as two of the biggest names likely to be traded in the next few months.

Even if it’s just for one season, though, imagine instead a rotation of Skubal, Ryan, López, Bailey Ober and Taj Bradley, with Simeon Woods Richardson, Mick Abel, Zebby Matthews and David Festa waiting in the wings as inevitable injury replacements.

That would be right up there with the Dodgers for the best rotation in baseball. And in the Pohlad family’s presumably ongoing attempt to sell this franchise, wouldn’t a pennant push do more for the sale price than a 100-loss dumpster fire with a loaded farm system?