The Detroit Tigers had a brilliant year until the very late stages of the 2025 season when they nearly blew their spot in the American League playoffs. However, they did just enough to make it as a Wild Card team after finishing in second place to the Cleveland Guardians in the Central Division. They would go on to win their Wild Card round matchup with the Guardians before being eliminated in the American League Division Series.

The way the season ended certain left a sour taste in the mounds of Tigers fans, and the start of the offseason may not be any kinder to the team. Tigers ace pitcher Tarik Skubal is in the final year of his contract with the team and it seems certain that he will become a free agent at the conclusion of the 2026 season. At that point, the brilliant pitcher will have the opportunity to sign with the highest bidder and it seems likely that the left-hander will leave Detroit for one of the richer franchises in baseball.

Former Major League Baseball executive Steve Phillips was advocating that the Tigers should trade Skubal while it can get a bountiful return for him. He believes that no matter how Skubal pitches next year, the Tigers would be better off trading the 2024 Cy Young winner and getting a boatload of prospects rather than losing him in free agency.

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Skubal's name mentioned along with Mets and several other teams

Phillips was speaking on the MLB Network's Hot Stove program and he told host Lauren Shehadi that the Tigers should have moved some of their prospects at the trade deadline last season in order to get some top-flight talent and enhance the team's chances of winning the American League pennant. Since they went in the opposite direction last year, they are now better off trading their top asset and bringing in multiple prospects that will make the team stronger in the future.

Phillips highlighted the New York Mets as one of the Tigers' potential trade partners, and he also mentioned the Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves and Arizona Diamondbacks among those teams that would be interested in Skubal.