To the Detroit Tigers' credit, after reaching the playoffs in 2025, ownership and the front office decided to make another run in 2026.
They signed Framber Valdez, one of the best available pitchers on the market. They brought in Kenley Jansen to stabilize the back end of the bullpen. Offered Gleyber Torres an expensive qualifying offer to keep one of their most productive hitters in town, and gave top prospect Kevin McGonigle $150 million to lock down his prime years. And most importantly, they didn't trade Tarik Skubal.
Skubal won his second consecutive Cy Young Award in 2025, cementing his place as arguably the best pitcher in baseball. He's also set to reach free agency after the 2026 season, and, pre-injury, was widely expected to break records for the largest contract for a pitcher in the sport's history. That makes an extension from Detroit a near-impossibility.
A championship run would make losing Skubal in free agency worth it, however. But as the season reaches June, the Tigers have fallen off a cliff. Skubal's been out since early May with an elbow injury. Detroit's position player group, after an outstanding 2025 season, has been the third worst offense and defense in baseball in 2026, per FanGraphs. Their starting pitching has been above average, but the bullpen, such a strength last season, has been awful. Even with Jansen, they're second in baseball with 14 blown saves and dead last with -4.36 win probability added. Cleveland, by contrast, ranks first with +3.87. Sure enough, the Guardians are 34-26 in first place, and the Tigers are 22-37 and in last place, 11.5 games back.
MLB REPORTERS PREDICT DODGERS COULD LAND TWO-TIME CY YOUNG WINNER TARIK SKUBAL IN BLOCKBUSTER TRADE
All the sudden, a Skubal trade suddenly becomes a lot more realistic. And a new report from The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal says that not only is it realistic, it's getting more and more likely.
"It's trending that way. Talking with people around the game, that is their feeling," Rosenthal said during Saturday's MLB on FOX pregame show. "The outlook right now is rather bleak, and honestly, it's difficult to imagine them making up a 14-game under .500 deficit, getting back to .500, and then contending even in a weak American League. So the question becomes, 'Will Skubal be healthy enough?' It's what we don't know."
Skubal has been on an accelerated timeline after getting elbow surgery, with the hope being that he'll return to a big-league mound by mid-late June. If so, the Tigers will have roughly a month before the trade deadline for him to re-establish his trade value and make their decision. Rosenthal said teams will "line up" if that's the case.
"He's going to throw again Monday and face hitters," Rosenthal said. He's coming off the innovative NanoNeedle elbow surgery, and maybe he's back in mid-June, maybe it's late-June. As long as he is healthy again, teams are going to line up. And then the question becomes, are the Tigers willing? If the standings are that daunting, if the situation is that bleak, they're going to have to listen."
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Mark Feinsand from MLB.com spoke to several other executives around the league, most of whom believe Skubal will be dealt.
"I would think they try to move him at the Deadline if they are this far out of contention," one NL executive told Feinsand. "They know they are not going to sign him, so you have to do what's best for the organization."
Already, the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves have been mentioned as teams that would make a run. A wildcard possibility? The Milwaukee Brewers, who have an excellent farm system and a history of trading for players on expiring contracts.
Skubal, even as a pending free agent, would bring a substantial return. Few pitchers in baseball tilt the odds in a postseason game more, assuming he returns immediately at his old form. Big-market teams could be more aggressive, thinking they could make a run at an extension before he reaches free agency. Regardless, it's not every day you can acquire the best pitcher in baseball with a reasonable expectation of him helping win playoff games. As team spending has repeatedly shown, there's a premium placed on outsized performance. Skubal fits that mold perfectly. And based on these reports, he might be fitting on another team in a matter of weeks.
