Tigers Seemingly Trending Towards Keeping Tarik Skubal as Trade Noise Quiets
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The Detroit Tigers entered the offseason with one massive question looming over them, and thus far it's only produced more questions to go along with it.
It's no secret that Detroit is at least discussing and considering the possibility of doing the unthinkable and trading their ace Tarik Skubal as he enters his final year of team control. An extension seemingly is not happening and all signs are pointing to him leaving in free agency a year from now, so trading him for a haul makes sense.
As the winter meetings approached, things started to heat up, and some reports in Orlando even indicated a deal between the Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers was imminent. That story was largely shut down after the fact, but that does not mean that those talks weren't happening.
Coming out of the meetings though, reporting is split on just how likely a deal is. As things start to slow down in terms of buzz, it seems less and less likely Detroit is on the cusp of pulling the trigger.
Tigers Become Less Likely Trade Trade Skubal the Longer it Takes
Fans in the Motor City who do not want the team to trade away the repeat American League Cy Young winner were able to breathe a sigh of relief when the meetings came and went with no deal being made.
The winter meetings are a place for teams to present their very best offers, and ultimately if that's the case, allow Detroit to make a final decision as to whether or not it's worth it to take the blowback from trading the best pitcher on the planet.
While Skubal is incredible and doing historic things on the mound, ultimately he is still a rental to teams who are looking to acquire him. If the asking price is too high, teams who are interested would simply rather pursue him in free agency.
No Team Likely to Reach Tigers' Desired Asking Price
If Detroit has not traded Skubal by now, it's because they have not received an offer that entices them enough to do so. There's no question that they are considering it as president of baseball operations Scott Harris has definitively said no player is untouchable, but that doesn't mean they're going to deal Skubal without full value.
Whether it's actually reality or not is another discussion, but the Tigers believe they are World Series contenders. Virtually automatically, removing Skubal -- though it may be in the best long term interest -- nukes that chance in 2026 and depending on the return would essentially be punting on next season.
Harris and Detroit's ownership are not going to get rid of their franchise player and receive the amount of criticism they'll be subject to from the fanbase for anything less than a historic king's ransom.
Given the fact that this has not happened yet with the winter meetings now having passed, it does not seem likely that a team is going to suddenly come forward with an offer to change the Tigers' mind.
Things could still change, but it appears that for now, Detroit is not going to get an offer they deem worthy of trading Skubal.
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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.