Bold Prediction Sees Tigers Trading Tarik Skubal This Offseason After All
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Detroit Tigers fans are going to have to buckle up for an offseason full of speculation.
After it was reported that Tarik Skubal and the team was far apart on getting a long-term extension worked out before he becomes a free agent after the 2026 campaign, immediate conjecture ran rampant about the Tigers potentially trading the superstar ace to get a monster package in return instead of potentially losing him for nothing.
Former MLB executive Jim Bowden then added that Detroit will almost assuredly shop Skubal around this winter to see what they could get back in return if they do pull the trigger on a deal. However, not a whole lot of people around the league expect him to actually get traded.
Bold Prediction Has Tarik Skubal Getting Dealt to Mets
That's not going to stop other teams from trying to land him, though. And it's not going to stop speculation about if something will get done this offseason. So it shouldn't be a surprise to see a Skubal trade listed in the six bold predictions piece put together by Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report.
"The team that would make the most sense for Skubal in an offseason trade is the New York Mets. Not only do they have an owner in Steve Cohen who will probably be willing to meet the asking price of Skubal and agent Scott Boras next offseason, but they have a major need for an ace in 2026 and pieces that could be of interest to the Tigers in return. ... In any event, if the Tigers do seriously consider trading Skubal, the Mets would have to be the odds-on favorites for his services," he wrote.
Of course, that comes on the heels of the New York Mets reportedly being interested in putting together a package to land the likely repeat AL Cy Young winner. On the surface, that's not surprising since he's the best starting pitcher in baseball, but not every team has what it takes to acquire him.
The Mets do. And the fact that these two sides continue to be connected -- even if it's in a bold predictions piece -- is something that should keep Tigers fans paying attention.
Tarik Skubal of the @tigers is the first pitcher in MLB history to pitch at least 6.0 shutout innings while allowing fewer than 6 baserunners (H/BB/HBP) in each of his first 2 career postseason starts. pic.twitter.com/eV7Dd8yZkC
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) October 7, 2024
How aggressively Detroit is going to try and get to the number Skubal and his representation are seeking isn't clear. However, in the case that nothing gets worked out this winter, then it's likely they would be comfortable operating with one final year where they have the superstar lefty on the team.
Still, president of baseball operations Scott Harris is not someone to shy away from making his team better for the long run, and if he thinks something won't get worked out, then a trade could be made.
