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Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal has been the centerpiece of trade rumors since the 2025 season ended.
Skubal had another excellent season at Motown. He went 13-6 with a 2.21 ERA and 241 strikeouts. He won his second consecutive American League Cy Young Award and could make a case for being one of the best pitchers in franchise history.
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Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal high-fives his teammates in the dugout after a pitching change during the seventh inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (Junfu Han/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Skubal’s future with the Tigers is cloudy as trade rumors swirl around him. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox have already been mentioned as possible suitors.
Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris fanned the flames of the rumors while speaking with MLB Network during the winter meetings in Orlando, Florida.
“I don’t believe in untouchable players at any level,” Harris said via ESPN. “It’s not a comment on Tarik. It’s more of a general approach to building a winning organization. My job is to make this organization better…which means I need to listen to every opportunity, no matter how likely or unlikely it is to actually happen. I have to listen because we have to improve as an organization, so that’s our focus.
Detroit Tigers starter Tarik Skubal (29) pitches against the Seattle Mariners during the third inning during game five of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at T-Mobile Park on Oct. 10, 2025. (Steven Bisig/Image Images)
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“We don’t have it all figured out, but it has led us to great success in a very short period of time. And I can stand here and credibly say that we have a bright present and a bright future, and this approach has gotten us there.”
Why would the Tigers trade Skubal now after back-to-back fantastic seasons?
Skubal has one more season left before becoming a free agent. He’s a pitcher who could potentially command hundreds of millions of dollars in his next deal. The Tigers trading him in the offseason or before the 2026 trade deadline would likely gain valuable prospects to build around for the future.
Harris said he wouldn’t speculate on trading any particular player and that Skubal was a big part of what the team was trying to build right now.
June 12, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, United States; Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) watches during the seventh inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 12, 2025. (Daniel Kucin Jr./Imagn Images)
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Detroit went 87-75 and defeated the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Wild Card Series. The Tigers then lost to the Seattle Mariners in five games in the American League Division Series.
