Dodgers Insider Believes Tigers Trade of Tarik Skubal Still Very Much in Play
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The Detroit Tigers entered the offseason with the biggest question in baseball looming over them, and to this point, they have not really answered it definitively to this point.
With just one year left of team control of their ace Tarik Skubal, many wondered ahead of the winter meetings, whether or not they could do the unthinkable and trade him. Though they made it out of Orlando without a deal, reporting has been mixed on whether or not one was close.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have predictably been the team most connected to a potential Skubal trade, and as Tigers brass has refused to answer the question of whether or not he's being shopped, rumors have certainly loomed.
During an appearance this week on the Dodger Territory podcast, team insider Katie Woo of The Athletic laid out some very convincing reasoning why a deal from Detroit is still possible despite the noise having quieted a bit this week.
Woo Believes Tigers May Still Trade Skubal to Dodgers
"I think the Dodgers have well-established that they’re in for basically anything," Woo said. "I think why we keep hearing the Tigers and the Dodgers connected for Skubal rumors is because Los Angeles is simply one of the only teams that can pull off a trade if they want to. The Dodgers, as we’ve seen, will go out and do things simply because they can."
Woo went on to explain how the depth both at the MLB level and prospect pool -- not to mention willingness to pay what an extension would take makes it so that Los Angeles is the only real team that a trade makes sense for.
"I think when there’s smoke, there’s not always fire," she said. "But here, this is something worth watching again, because the Dodgers are one of the only teams that can actually put off this deal if the Tigers do indeed attempt to trade Skubal."
Will Tigers Actually Make the Move and Send Skubal Out West?
At this point, things could be anyone's guess, but it still feels much more likely than not that Detroit chooses to hold onto Skubal and go for it at least one more time in 2026 with their southpaw Cy Young ace at the helm.
Things could be different at the trade deadline if the season does not go as planned, but the Tigers are rightfully asking for a ton for Skubal, and it's a lot for a team to give up without knowing for for sure that he will be around for more than one year.
If Detroit does get the kind of offer it is seeking, perhaps Scott Harris is going to think long and hard about actually pulling the trigger here, but for the most part, this has just felt like noise. The Tigers could have traded Skubal last week and didn't, which tells you what you need to know about the market.
Nothing would be shocking in this sport, however, it seems unless the Dodgers come in with a Godfather offer, a trade is unlikely.
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Michael Brauner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Sports Media. He covers various MLB teams across the On SI network and you can also find his work on Yellowhammer News covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers as well as on the radio producing and co-hosting 'The Opening Kickoff' every weekday morning on 105.5 WNSP FM in Mobile, Alabama.