Weighing Reasons Why Tigers Should and Should Not Trade Tarik Skubal Now
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This has been quite the offseason thus far, as it has been nearly impossible to predict any landing spots for the top free agents, and there are still quite a few pitchers on the board with spring training a mere month away.
The Detroit Tigers are one ballclub that has been eerily quiet since their season ended, and that might be due to their pitching ace, Tarik Skubal, who isn't a free agent yet, but his future with the team is under the microscope.
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Skubal will be open to any organization (that can afford him) at the end of the 2026 season. So, the question now is, do the Tigers trade him before the price on his head is too much?
Getting rid of Skubal this far into the offseason seems like a foolish idea, but it is easy to argue both sides of the situation, because Skubal is going to be after at least $30 million a year. Now is the time for the Tigers to decide if they are going to be willing to cough up the dough.
At the end of the day, if Detroit wants to compete this season then the pros of keeping him heavily outweigh the cons.
Reason To Deal Him: Future Cost
If Skubal finishes 2026 with the ballclub and goes on to win another Cy Young Award, the price to retain him will be astronomical. There is already tension between Skubal and management regarding what he is owed for his performance, and if there is concern with paying him that much, then they should deal with him while they can still get something in return.
The team is in dire need of a bat, and if all of their money goes to Skubal, their hitting lineup will continue to suffer.
Reason To Deal Him: Huge Return
The eye sore on Detroit's lineup is their lack of depth in the hitting lineup. They had multiple players bat under .200 in the playoffs, and if the team wants to avoid the embarrassment of what happened in 2025 (sent home again in the ALDS), then they need another bat.
Top Plays of 2025: No. 59
— MLB (@MLB) November 25, 2025
Tarik Skubal strikes out 13 batters in his first career complete game! pic.twitter.com/A8Io0nFAvz
If Skubal goes elsewhere, it would entail a monster package deal. There would be at least two hitters, or a couple of prospects. It would be a blockbuster trade to say the least.
Reason To Keep Him: Once in a Generation Type of Talent
There isn't enough space on a page or time in the day to express the kind of impact player that Skubal is. His list of accolades is lengthy, but there are some not worth skipping over.
- 2x AL Cy Young Award Winner (2024, 2025): Unanimous winner in 2024
- Triple Crown Winner (2024): Led AL in wins, ERA, and strikeouts.
- 2x All-MLB First Team (2024, 2025)
- 2x All-Star (2024, 2025)
- AL ERA Leader (2024, 2025)
- MLB Strikeout Leader (2024)
- MLB WHIP Leader (2025, 0.89)
Reason To Keep Him: Ready to Win Now
Skubal shapes this pitching staff as a near guaranteed win whenever he steps onto the mound. The Tigers had a historic demise in the summer of 2025, but one positive came out of that. Management saw that this roster is capable of fighting through adverse times, as well as saw that their roster is capable of competing with the best of them.
One thing is for certain, Skubal will be the face of whatever organization he plays for, and if the Tigers want to compete for a World Series, it needs to be them.
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Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.