4 Untouchable Detroit Tigers As the Trade Deadline Approaches

The Tigers will be taking trade offers, but there are four players who are likely untouchable.

Detroit Tigers flag | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

The Detroit Tigers are entering a time period where they will define their 2026 season. If the organization can turn things around and get the ball rolling again, the trade deadline talks will be much quieter.

Should Tarik Skubal look as good as he did pre-injury when he takes the mound on Saturday, it is very possible that the Tigers can get back in the playoff picture.

Currently, Detroit sits at 29-40, which places them eight games back of the Chicago White Sox in the American League Central. But, they are 7-3 in the last 10, and they are getting their ace back from the injured list.

The August 3 trade deadline is approaching quickly. So far, the Tigers are just close enough to keep the dream alive, but far enough back to keep the phone ringing. So, what will Detroit do at the trade deadline?

Everyone is worthy of discussion, and there will be calls. Some, though, are just not available, not for sale, and conversations around them will likely end quickly.

Here are four players that A.J. Hinch and the front office should protect for the future.

1. Riley Greene, LF

Detroit Tigers left fielder Riley Greene | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

So far in 2026, Greene has been the best hitter on the roster. He is just 25 years old and is now slashing .301/.391/.462 with an .853 OPS. He has eight home runs and 33 RBI across the 69 games in 2026. He also has patience and can draw walks. He has accomplished this 36 times.

Greene holds one of the most team-friendly contracts with his one-year $5 million arbitration deal. For a player producing at this level, he’s worth every penny.

Greene is also homegrown. Detroit drafted him, developed him and has promoted him to be a great middle-of-the-order bat. This is just something you don’t trade, not for any package a contender could put together.

2. Kevin McGonigle, SS

Detroit Tigers third baseman Kevin McGonigle | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

This is a given, no shocker here. McGonigle is 21 years old and slashing .283/.392/.417 with an .809 OPS in 66 games during his rookie season.

The Tigers locked him in to an eight-year, $150 million contract that goes through 2034. He is one of the best team-controlled assets in the sport.

While McGonigle came out and took the baseball world by storm, he has cooled off a bit, but make no mistake, this guy is incredible and likely will only get better.

His patience at the plate is remarkable. He is a player this team will build around for the next decade.

3. Tarik Skubal, SP

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Here is where the controversy will start. There are already swirling talks of Skubal being traded and where he might go. Analysts across all of MLB have an opinion and rightly so. He is the hottest trade piece going right now.

The Los Angeles Dodgers keep coming up in the mix of conversations. They have the money to do it, and it is going to take a lot of money and trade chips to make this happen, should the team decide to go this direction.

I just don’t believe they will before or during the trade deadline.

Skubal is just now entering the scene again after having a “loose body” removed from his left elbow. He is already turning heads with the timeline of his rehab, but all of that aside, his numbers before he had to take a break tell us why he can’t be moved.

In seven starts for 2026, he posted a 2.70 ERA, a 0.95 WHIP and held opponents to a .222 batting average. At 29 years old he signed an arbitration deal worth $32 million and without question, he is the ace of this staff.

This team needs him. This team believes they are still in the hunt for October. The next two weeks will determine if this is true.

There will be calls, there are probably already calls. There were calls last year. The trade proposals will continue up until the trade deadline passes. Skubal will dominate the conversations and the headlines, but the Tigers won’t trade him.

They are way too invested in this situation to give up and trade their ace. There is a reality here that can’t be ignored as well. This team didn’t reach out and sign Framber Valdez to give up on the 2026 season. So, if Detroit has a chance at all, they aren’t going to trade Skubal at the deadline.

Knowing that Skubal is going to enter free agency at the end of the year means the Tigers have a big decision ahead of them. On one hand, it is clear Skubal is the leader of this team; on the other, they did sign a three-year $115 million contract with Valdez.

Were they preparing for the exit of Skubal in free agency? Probably. If they weren’t able to come to terms with him for a contract extension, Valdez may have been thought to be the replacement.

Now what though? The Tigers have had plenty of chances to see Valdez and so far, he has not been what they bargained for. Given all of this, I don’t see Skubal going anywhere...yet.

Now, should the season completely fall apart in the next few weeks, the door will open, but right now, today, it has a lock on it.

4. Dillon Dingler, C

Detroit Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Dingler has been a surprise of the best kind for Detroit in 2026. He is hitting .254/.332/.526 with an .858 OPS. For a catcher, that is impressive power production.

He has also hit 16 home runs in 62 games and the best part? He is doing all of this on a pre-arbitration deal worth just $834,900.

Yes, there are going to be calls here. Contenders would be crazy not to try to hem up this kind of production for that cost, but Detroit should say no. Quality, affordable catching is impossible to find, and with what Dingler has done, he should be considered a cornerstone of this team, not a trade piece.

No doubt, this team has a lot of decisions to make in the coming days. The current performance has made some of them harder.