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Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal has been at the center of trade rumors since the end of the 2025 season.
Skubal put together another terrific season at Motown. He was 13-6 with a 2.21 ERA and had 241 strikeouts. He won his second straight Cy Young Award in the American League and could lay claim to being one of the greatest pitchers in franchise history.
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Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal gives a high-five to his teammates in the dugout after a pitching change during the seventh inning at Comerica Park in Detroit, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (Junfu Han/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Skubal’s future with the Tigers is clouded as trade rumors swirl around him. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox have already been mentioned as potential suitors.
Tigers President of Baseball Operations Scott Harris fanned the flames of the rumor mill while speaking to MLB Network during the winter meetings in Orlando, Florida.
“I don’t believe in untouchable players at any level,” Harris said via ESPN. “This is not a comment on Tarik. Rather, it is a holistic approach to building a winning organization. My job is to make this organization better…which means I have to listen to every opportunity, no matter how likely or unlikely it is to happen. I have to listen because we have to get better as an organization, so that’s our approach.
Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) throws against the Seattle Mariners in the third inning of Game 5 of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at T-Mobile Park on October 10, 2025. (Steven Bisig/Imagn Images)
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“We didn’t have it all figured out, but it led to a lot of success in a very short period of time. And I can stand here and credibly say that we have both a bright present and a bright future, and this approach has led to that.”
Why would the Tigers trade Skubal now after back-to-back fantastic seasons?
Skubal has one more season before becoming a free agent. He’s a pitcher who could potentially demand hundreds of millions of dollars in his next contract. The Tigers trading him this offseason or before the 2026 trade deadline would likely generate valuable prospects to build around for the future.
Harris said he wouldn’t speculate on the possibility of trading any specific 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) looks on 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 was 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.
