Tarik Skubal Trade Appears Increasingly Likely, Per MLB Insider

If you're a Major League Baseball team looking for pitching and hoping that Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal will become available ahead of the 2026 Major League Baseball trade deadline, stay in line.

On Saturday, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal joined the MLB on FOX pregame show and said that it's "trending that way" when asked whether the two-time Cy Young Award winner could end up being available ahead of the 2026 MLB Trade deadline.

"It’s trending that way. Talking with people around the game, that is their feeling," Rosenthal said of the possibility of a Skubal trade. "The outlook right now is rather bleak, and honestly, it’s difficult to imagine them making up a [15]-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."

Who Should Target Tarik Skubal?

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

The Tigers are spiraling out of control and there has been no sign of slowing down. The Tigers have lost three straight games and seven out of their last 10 games. Detroit is all sorts of a mess and now is 15 games under .500 at 22-37. Even if Skubal were to come back tomorrow, he can only pitch every fifth day. It's not as if he could come in and save the Tigers' season every game. Right now, the Tigers have 103 games left in the season. If they want to simply get back to .500, they need to go 59-44 over their final 103 games. Then, if you want to finish above .500 and potentially make the playoffs, you need even more.

The math isn't in the Tigers' favor right now, and that's good for any team around the league looking to bolster their starting rotation ahead of the trade deadline. Teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Rays, Milwaukee Brewers, and the San Diego Padres should be on the phone right now. The Chicago Cubs and even the Philadelphia Phillies could make sense as well. Skubal isn't back in games yet, but he has been throwing bullpens and is progressing after undergoing elbow surgery.

Frankly, any team that thinks it has a chance to make a run this season should be on the phone with Detroit right now. It would cost a lot for any team to acquire him with prospects, but then all of a sudden a club would have a legit ace at the top of their rotation. He's going to be a free agent at the end of the season. Are we seeing the beginning of the end with him in Detroit?

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