Tarik Skubal Reveals His Free Agency Hope After Tigers Trade
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The trade deadline is always somewhat of a cluster, and the biggest name on the trade block was the Detroit Tigers' former face of the organization, back-to-back Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, who was dealt to the reigning world champions last Saturday.
It was definitely a hard pill to swallow for fans of the Tigers to see their lefty star going to an already stacked Los Angeles Dodgers ballclub, and many around baseball have been somewhat rooting against Skubal as people struggle to root for the Dodgers.
While Skubal had been very vocal about his desires for the Tigers to buy at the deadline, as well as his yearning to stay with the team that launched his superstar career, it was hard for the front office to justify it after they lost his final start despite his leaving in the 7th inning with a 7-1 lead over the Baltimore Orioles.
It was tough to say goodbye to Detroit for Tarik Skubal pic.twitter.com/VUqFWAHDkK
— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) August 7, 2026
So, executives made it known that he was up for grabs, and many threw their names in the hat, including the Milwaukee Brewers and Houston Astros. Ultimately, it was the Los Angeles Dodgers who won the bidding war.
That being said, Skubal was speaking with the Pardon My Take Podcast, and shared that he remains optimistic that when he is a free agent at the end of the season, he hopes Detroit pursues him.
"I would love to play my whole career in Detroit, and hopefully negotiations can pick back up in November once playoffs are done. We can see where that goes, and I would love to return. I got nothing but good things to say about the city of Detroit," stated Skubal.
The cost would be astronomical, but the 28-year-old clearly wants to go back home.
Everybody Who Can Afford Him Will Be After Skubal and for Good Reason
There isn't enough time in the day, or space on a page to truly explain the impact that Skubal makes as a fiery competitor. He wears his emotions on his sleeve and has been up for the challenge the last few years, especially in the postseason when the pressure has been astronomical.
Skubal's first time playing in October came back in 2024 after his first Cy Young season, and he put on a show posting a 2.37 ERA and 0.79 WHIP as he held batters to a .188 batting average. Then, he blew his own stats out of the water a season ago.
In nearly 21 innings of play, he finished with a 1.74 ERA and a sub-.70 WHIP as it was nearly impossible for opponents to lay a hit on him. That kind of dominance, paired with the best catcher in baseball, Dillon Dingler, would win a lot for the Tigers.
Ultimately, the biggest hangup is going to be what Detroit's front office is willing to cough up for a long-term contract. So, should Skubal take less than what the Dodgers would offer to return to the Tigers?
Well, if he means what he says and the Tigers offer up a fair deal, then absolutely.
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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.