Latest Tarik Skubal Report Could Shake Up Major League Baseball

The Detroit Tigets cannot catch a break right now and that could end up being a gift for another team out there across Major League Baseball.

Detroit employs one of the very best pitchers on the planet in Tarik Skubal. The two-time reigning American League Cy Young Award winner is doing everything possible to return for the franchise. He underwent surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow, but went with a NanoScope surgery in order to expedite his return. Skubal has been throwing bullpens and certainly is trending towards a return sooner than initially expected.

While this is the case, the Tigers are floundering right now. The Tigers have lost six games in a row and 14 of their last 16 games overall. After another loss on Thursday, the Tigers are now 20-31 on the season so far. Who saw Detroit being 11 games under .500 at this point in the season? Certainly not many people. Detroit is 9 1/2 games out of first place in the American League Central and is five games out of an American League Wild Card spot. That sounds better than it is. Only the Los Angeles Angels have a worse record in the American League than Detroit right now.

Things continue to get worse for the Tigers and on Thursday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post wrote on X that the chances of a trade involving Skubal are "rising."

Tarik Skubal Could Shake Up Major League Baseball

Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal talks to reporters before a game against the Boston Red Sox on May 4, 2026, at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan. | Evan Petzold / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"Tarik Skubal trade chances are rising," Heyman wrote. "1. Tigers have lost 14 of 16 and are in last and 5 games out in WC race. 2. Tigers have 5 starters on IL. 3. Skubal is progressing since elbow scope. 4. Tigers chances to extend him are nil."

The more the Tigers lose, the higher the chances of a deal are. Skubal will return to the mound for game action at some point. Before he went down with his injury, he had a 2.70 ERA in seven starts. This is the two-time reigning AL Cy Young Award winner we're talking about. If he can get healthy, he's going to be a game-changer for whatever team he is on.

Also, Skubal is going to be a free agent after the season. If there is a team out there that thinks they are one pitcher away from winning a title, realistically every team can afford the lefty. All it would take is some sort of massive prospect package.

Think of Shohei Ohtani before he left the Angels in free agency. On Thursday, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported that the Tampa Bay Rays made a run at Ohtani ahead of the 2023 trade deadline. The Rays obviously don't spend heavily, but Ohtani was heading to free agency and didn't have long-term money attached to him. Any team could've afforded him at that time before free agency, but the Angels kept him.

The same can be said about Skubal right now. As long as a team is willing to deal top prospects, any team could make sense for Skubal, which could make the 2026 trade deadline very interesting.

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